To Bloom Again
by LunaClefairy
Summary: More than a century after the death of Iris of Repliforce, a female Reploid of the same name is found sealed in an abandoned lab and joins the Resistance. Her only wish is to know why she exists, but with a mischievous Cyber Elf at her heels, an irritating red Reploid distracting her with unfamiliar feelings, and a war taking place, it may prove an impossible task. On hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_**All things must come to an end. But from that ending, something new will be born. The start and the finish, alpha and omega...forever linked in an endless cycle. Which will you be? The ending or the beginning?**_

The first thing she was aware of was darkness. An endless field of black stretched as far as she could see. Then, one by one, her senses began to activate. First was touch, which alerted her to the fact that she was lying down on an inclined metal surface. Next was her sense of smell, which enabled her to discover that the air she breathed was stagnant. Next, her hearing booted up, allowing her to hear some people murmuring nearby. Her eyes fluttered open as her sight came online, and the world became visible to her for the first time. A glass barrier covered her resting place, enabling her to see the metal ceiling above her. The glass was also reflective enough for her to see what she looked like.

Physically, she had the appearance of a petite sixteen-year old girl, with curves in all the right places and slender black limbs. She wore a knee-length dress that was primarily colored red from her neck to her waist but primarily blue from the waist down. Yellow bands accented the top of her dress, while the skirt part was decorated with both red and yellow material. The dress's puffed sleeves were short and pink, while her shoes were armored pink and white heels. Her long brown hair was tied in a low ponytail by a blue and yellow hair band. Finally, yellow rings covered her wrists and ankles, and a bright red beret was placed atop her head.

Her first emotion was confusion. Who was she? What was she doing here? What was her purpose in the world? Before she could even begin to answer these questions, a sharp hiss filled her auditory sensors. The glass that had covered her was lifting up, releasing the compressed air it contained. When the glass cover was fully upright, she allowed herself to sit up.

She was finally able to get a better look at her surroundings. It was apparent that she was in some sort of laboratory. However, the place was in a state of disrepair. Almost everything looked like it was corroding or falling apart. Her eyes soon landed on a small group of humanoids nearby. They all wore green military uniforms with matching berets and brown metallic boots. She quickly identified them as mechanical beings: Replica Androids, or Reploids.

She had a sudden revelation: she was a Reploid, too. She had been activated just moments ago and her processor was slowly feeding her basic information that all Reploids were preprogrammed with. But where was her creator and why were those Reploids all pointing _guns_ at her?!

Frightened, the newly-activated Reploid whimpered and shrunk back into her capsule. Her processor searched for a possible way to escape the situation, but she had no combat functions, weapons, or exceptional athletic or intellectual abilities. She was a thoroughly average civilian Reploid in every conceivable way, and in this situation, that meant she was done for. She couldn't believe that she had just been activated only to be destroyed! Why did these Reploids even bother to awaken her in the first place if they just wanted to kill her?

"I don't think she's dangerous," one of the Reploids murmured. "She looks scared out of her wits. I think she would have attacked by now if she presented a threat."

A tense standoff followed. The newly-activated female Reploid curled up into a ball, praying and pleading that the others wouldn't shoot. Finally, an order pierced the silence.

"Lower your weapons!"

A series of clinks and clicks alerted the young female that the guns were no longer pointed at her, but she was still too scared to move. She stiffened as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry we frightened you. We didn't know if you were a threat or not."

The female Reploid timidly uncurled herself and looked at the speaker. He was a bit taller than her, and he wore a see-through visor in addition to his beret.

"What is your name?" he asked.

With everything that had happened in her first few moments of life, the female Reploid had never had a chance to search through her data for her name. Now that she was calmer and no longer at gunpoint, she found the desired information.

"My name is…Iris," she murmured. "Who are you? Where is my creator?"

"My name is Milan. I'm part of a group of Reploids called the Resistance. Our leader found this lab and we were ordered to investigate it, which is how we discovered you. Based on the state of this place, I'm guessing your creator is long gone."

A weight settled inside Iris's chest. Did her creator abandon her? She desperately searched through her data archives for a clue, and to her surprise, found an audio message addressed to her. Hurriedly, she played it for herself.

"_Greetings, Iris. My name is Professor Dahlia. I am the one that created you. If you are listening to this message, then I will be long gone. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was forced to seal you away before you had a chance to be activated. It is likely that many years have passed since you were sealed, and you will probably be alone in a world that you know nothing about. But don't be afraid. When the time comes, you will know the reason why you were brought into this world as well as why I sealed you away. I am sorry that we were never able to meet face to face, but know that I care for you as if you were my own child. I wish you happiness and I hope you can help bring the world true peace."_

Iris blinked in a mixture of surprise and confusion at the message. What sort of role was she supposed to play? As far as she could tell, she was as ordinary as a Reploid could get. How could someone like her help the world find peace?

"Iris? Are you okay?" asked Milan.

"Oh! Sorry. I was just thinking," she replied.

"It's dangerous for you to be out here by yourself. You should probably come with us."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's a long story, but basically, we Reploids aren't very welcome in the world anymore. When we get back to our base, Dr. Ciel can explain everything."

Iris felt a shiver crawl down her spine. What could have happened to make Reploids unwelcome? She wobbly stood up with Milan's help and joined the group of soldier-like Reploids. She was a bit reluctant to trust these Reploids since they had held her at gunpoint just a few minutes ago, but she didn't know how the world around her had changed since she was built. If Milan was telling the truth, she'd be much safer with an armed group than by herself.

"Okay everyone, let's head back to base!" Milan ordered. The small group followed his lead out of the lab. Iris was finally able to properly examine the place where she had lain dormant. It was in worse shape than she initially thought. The metal had cracked and corroded with time, leaving holes in the ceilings and walls, and the machines were completely defunct and covered with grime. If she had to guess, many decades must have passed since the lab was last used. She could only assume that either her capsule had been exceptionally engineered or she was just extremely lucky.

Milan led Iris and the other soldiers to a disk-shaped beige device which he called a Transerver. He explained to her that the Transerver was used to travel quickly between various areas. Someone could use a Transerver to warp to any other available Transerver. Milan set the Transerver's destination and urged Iris to get on top of the device. Hesitantly, she did so. After the Transerver activated, Iris's vision went white and she was overcome with an odd sense of weightlessness. This lasted all but a second, and before she knew it she was back on solid ground.

Feeling disoriented, she stumbled off the Transerver while trying to get her bearings. This was not the same building she had been in before. While it was still run-down, it wasn't in complete disrepair. A nearby noise jolted Iris out of her thoughts. She saw that the other Reploids from the group were appearing from the Transerver, one by one. When Milan arrived, he approached her.

"Follow me, Iris," he said. "I'll take you to see Dr. Ciel."

"O-okay."

Milan led Iris through numerous halls. They passed many other Reploids wearing the same kind of uniform as Milan. Iris shrank away from the others and avoided making eye contact. She doubted they were bad Reploids, but her earlier experience made her wary.

At last, they entered a small laboratory. It was very basic in design, with only one computer and a few other pieces of necessary furniture. Iris peeked around Milan and saw someone seated at the computer and busily typing. Nearby this person hovered a tiny fairylike creature. Iris's data archives informed her that the fairy was a Cyber Elf, a sentient program created to empower Reploids.

"Dr. Ciel! We've found a new one!" Milan announced.

The person stopped typing and swiveled her chair around. She lifted a white visor from her face, revealing cobalt eyes. Iris gave a start when her scanners identified that Ciel was a young human. Ciel's outfit was very similar to a Reploid's body armor, consisting of a black bodysuit, a pink vest and skirt, white gloves, and matching shoes and helmet. Her blond hair poked through an opening in the back of her helmet and reached just past her waist. She honestly didn't look like a doctor or the leader of an organization of Reploids.

"Oh? Who are you?" Ciel asked.

"M-my name is Iris, ma'am," Iris replied. "So, you lead all these Reploids? But you're a human, and you're so young!"

The Cyber Elf flew right into Iris's face. "Don't underestimate Ciel! She may be young, but she's a genius!"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean any offense, honest!" Iris apologized.

"It's all right. I'm not mad," said Ciel. "So Milan, you found her in the lab we discovered?"

"That's right," confirmed Milan. "We found her sealed and activated her on-site. Based on the lab's condition, I'd say she must've been there for at least a century."

"A century," Ciel muttered thoughtfully. "Milan, you're dismissed. I will explain everything to Iris."

"Understood." Milan left the lab, and the door shut behind him.

"I assume Milan has already explained why he brought you here?" asked Ciel.

"Yes. He said Reploids aren't welcome in the world anymore," Iris replied. "But why is that?"

"Wow, you're really out of the loop," the Cyber Elf commented.

"Passy, if she truly was sealed away for a century, then that's only natural," Ciel reasoned. "Let me start from the beginning…"

Ciel explained that the nearly the entire population of the world lived a utopia called Neo Arcadia, and it was in the midst of a major energy crisis. In order to conserve energy for the humans, innocent Reploids were unfairly labeled as Mavericks and sentenced to death. When Ciel found out about this, she helped the Reploids escape Neo Arcadia to this ruined city. She organized them and formed a group which became known as the Resistance so they could defend themselves against Neo Arcadia's oppressive rule.

"That's horrible," Iris commented.

"Five years have passed since then," Ciel continued. "We've managed to hold off Neo Arcadian forces with guerilla tactics, but we can't keep this up forever. And so…I've been searching for Zero."

"Zero? How can a number help you?" Iris wondered. In response, Passy rammed into her head.

"What's wrong with you?!" the Cyber Elf demanded. "You've never heard of the legendary Maverick Hunter Zero?"

Iris winced and massaged the bump. "Well, uh… Okay, no, I haven't! That knowledge wasn't programmed into me!"

Now that she thought about it, though, the name "Zero" did strike a chord with her. It carried a pleasant nostalgic feeling, even though that shouldn't be possible since she'd only been active for half an hour tops. Did that mean Professor Dahlia had missed a glitch in her systems?

"Actually, it's not all that surprising that you don't know," said Ciel. "If Milan's estimate of the time you spent sealed is accurate, that meant you were built around the time Zero supposedly went into stasis."

"Oh, wow. Can you tell me more about Zero?"

"As you can guess from the title 'legendary', his strength was beyond compare. He was instrumental in quelling every Maverick rebellion that occurred during his time. But he eventually sealed himself away permanently. Some legends say it was because he believed the bloodshed would never stop as long as he was around."

"Wow. That's so sad," Iris commented. "It sounds like Zero was really noble. I would have liked to meet him."

"If I can find him, you'll be able to do just that," said Ciel. "But as you can imagine, finding a century-old Reploid who intended to sleep for all of eternity while the government is trying to eliminate you is far from easy. No one knows where Zero rests. Actually, most people think he's just a legend. It's not easy convincing the rest of Resistance that searching for him isn't a waste of time."

"Just a legend, huh?" Iris closed her eyes. A strange sensation emanated from her core. It seemed to be telling her that Ciel's efforts were not in vain. Zero was real, he had to be! He was sleeping in some unknown place, but he was alive. She couldn't explain why she was so certain of that fact, but it resonated so strongly within her that she knew it had to be the truth.

"I believe in Zero," Iris stated as she reopened her eyes. "I'm sure you'll find him someday, Dr. Ciel. And I want to help you and the rest of the Resistance. I don't have any combat functions or anything else that really stands out, but I'm willing to provide support any way I can."

"I'm glad to hear that, Iris," Ciel said with a grateful smile. "With Neo Arcadia constantly breathing down our necks, we need all the help we can get."

"You can count on me!" Iris exclaimed.

* * *

**Erm, so here we are again. I should have restarted the story from scratch as soon as I started reconstruction, but of course I was too stubborn. Anyway, you'll notice this chapter is unchanged, and I'll be reuploading Chapter 2 and the new versions of Chapters 3 and 4 shortly. I'm really sorry for all of the confusion I caused. Hopefully there won't be any more problems!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Iris looked around her new room. It was in the same decrepit state as the rest of the Resistance base, but it was cozy and would suit her needs adequately. It contained a bed with white sheets for her to sleep on, a desk with a chair, and a small vanity. The metal door could be locked if she wanted privacy, and her desk and vanity contained several drawers to store things in.

"Is this room to your liking?" Ciel asked. "I'm sorry we can't provide anything better."

"This will do just fine, Dr. Ciel. Thank you," said Iris.

"I'll give you some time to get settled and explore the base. I'll find something for you to do tomorrow."

"Understood."

Once Ciel left, Iris decided to take the scientist's words to heart and explore her new home. She wandered around the many hallways, creating a mental map of the base as she did so. She ran into many Reploids, but found herself unable to squeak out anything more than a soft "hello" to them before slipping away. If a Reploid approached her, she would avoid eye contact and feel an urge to run or hide behind something. At first, she thought it was simply the result of trauma from the gun incident, but her database informed her that these reactions were the result of an emotion called "shyness".

Iris found her shyness frustrating. She knew she'd be seeing these Reploids a lot more in the days to come, so she shouldn't be trying to avoid them. Yet, she couldn't stop feeling the urge to escape whenever someone tried to talk to her. In spite of these difficulties, she was able to generate a basic understanding of the base's layout before the day was over.

When evening came, she retired to her room. She removed her beret and her hair tie and placed them on her vanity before lying down on her bed. The mattress was worn but comfortable, and Iris easily slipped into the relaxed state required for a proper shutdown. She closed her eyes, wondering what the future held.

She found herself standing in a completely black area. Where was she, and how did she get here? The endless black was broken only by a figure somewhere out the distance. Iris squinted and focused her optics as much as she could, but she couldn't make out anything about the figure. She stepped towards it, but no matter how far she walked, the distance between her and the figure remained the same.

"Is someone there? Who are you?" Iris called. She had the distinct impression that the figure turned toward her. A whisper of a voice tickled her ears, but she could not make out any words. She strained her auditory receptors to their limits, but she was still unable to decipher anything about the voice.

The figure turned away and slowly grew smaller. Iris shouted for it to wait and ran after it, but her efforts proved fruitless. She was left alone in the darkness.

Her eyes snapped open as she sat up. She realized she was back in her bed at the base.

"It must've been a dream," she muttered. As her processor sorted through her thoughts, she recalled that today was the official start of her new life as a Resistance Reploid. She climbed out of bed and stepped towards her vanity to pick up her beret and hair tie, but the sight of her reflection stopped her cold.

What in the world had happened to her hair? It stuck out all over the place and reminded her of a haystack. A quick search of her data archives confirmed that she had bed hair, and a bad case of it to boot. Feeling embarrassed, Iris quickly dug into the vanity's drawer and found a brush so she could tame the mess. Why did this happen now and not during the century she had spent inactive? Maybe the nature of her capsule helped, or maybe she moved around a lot in her sleep. Either way, she didn't want anyone else to see her hair like this. Once her hair was in a satisfactory condition, Iris replaced her beret and her hair tie and left to see Ciel. She found the scientist's lab with the help of her mental map and knocked on the door.

"Dr. Ciel? It's me, Iris."

There was no response. Iris waited a while before knocking and calling again. Finally, Passy's voice answered.

"You're the new girl, right? Ciel's not available now."

"Why not?" asked Iris.

"She's kind of…asleep."

"Asleep? But it's 10:00 AM!"

"This happens sometimes. She'll get so absorbed in her research that she loses track of time and eventually just passes out from exhaustion."

"But…she was supposed to assign me a job today!"

Passy sighed. "If you're that desperate for work, why don't you just go clean or something? There's a supply closet a bit further down the hall."

"Okay, I'll do just that. Thanks, Passy!"

Iris quickly found the supply closet in question. Inside were all sorts of old-fashioned cleaning supplies: a broom and dustpan, a bucket, a mop, soap, and so on. All of them looked like they'd never been touched. Iris guessed that she had a lot of work to do.

She took the broom and dustpan, brushing off the dirt and grime that had accumulated on them. She went to work sweeping the hall. After a few minutes, she got the hang of using the broom and was able to work more quickly. She soon created a large pile of dust and dirt, which she scooped up with the dustpan and disposed.

She repeated the process over and over throughout the hallway. It was menial and tedious, but it gave her purpose. Maybe it wasn't a real job, nor did it make a huge difference, but she was willing to bet the other Reploids would notice her work and appreciate it.

"Are you the new Reploid?" a small voice asked.

Iris turned around and spotted a female Reploid designed after a young girl. She had blond hair like Ciel, and she wore a pink sleeveless dress with yellow trim and brown metallic boots. She clutched a white cat plush in her arms as her big blue eyes focused on Iris.

"I am," Iris responded. The shyness she had felt around the other Reploids was absent. This little blond girl radiated innocence, enabling Iris to feel completely comfortable in her presence.

"Are you a maid?" the little girl asked.

Iris imagined herself wearing a frilly black and white maid outfit and blushed in embarrassment. "No, no, I'm not a maid. My name is Iris. Passy told me Dr. Ciel was sleeping and sent me off to clean until I'm assigned a real job."

"Sis must've been working really hard again," the blond Reploid murmured.

"Huh? 'Sis'? But Dr. Ciel is a human."

"I know that. But she saved me from Neo Arcadia, and she gave me my name and this doll. She's just like a big sister to me, even if we aren't actually related."

Iris was surprised. Despite her appearance, the small Reploid was remarkably insightful. "What is your name?"

"I'm Alouette. It's nice to meet you, Iris. I'll see you later. I'm going to see how Ciel is doing."

"Why don't we go together?" Iris suggested. "I'm pretty much done sweeping this hall, after all."

Alouette readily agreed, and the two Reploid girls headed for Ciel's lab. Alouette opened the door without knocking, which confirmed that she and Ciel were close.

"Sis, where are you?" Alouette called as she entered the lab. "The maid Reploid Iris wants you to give her a real job!"

"Alouette! I told you I'm not a maid!" Iris cried.

"Alouette? What's this talk about a maid?" Ciel appeared and approached the two Reploids. The dark circles under her eyes indicated just how tired she was.

"This Reploid was cleaning the hallway. She says she's not a maid, but she must be one!" Alouette chirped. "After all, no one ever cleans around here."

Ciel gave the supposed maid a questioning look. "Iris?"

"I stopped by earlier, but Passy said you were asleep," Iris explained. "I didn't know what to do, so Passy told me to clean until you woke up."

"Oh, Passy," Ciel sighed. "I'm sorry, Iris. I've just been so busy lately."

"It's okay. I didn't mind it too much," Iris responded. "So, did you think of a task I can fulfill?"

"Based on what you've told me and what I can gather from your design, you seem to be best suited for the medical staff," said Ciel. "That team is led by a Reploid named Rocinolle. She'll give you the ropes."

"All right. Thank you, Dr. Ciel."

Iris departed the lab with the intent to find Rocinolle. Simple deduction helped her determine that Rocinelle was most likely in the infirmary. She was about to head off when she felt a tug on her dress. Iris looked down and saw Alouette had gotten ahold of her clothes.

"What is it, Alouette?"

"You're going to be a medic, right? Is it okay if you do a job for me, too?"

There was no way Iris could say no to those adorable blue eyes, even if she wanted to. "What do you want me to do?"

"I'm worried about Ciel. She's been trying so hard to find Zero and she's tired all the time. I can't always be with her, so could you help look after her?"

Iris smiled. "It would be my pleasure, Alouette."

* * *

**Gaah. Alouette is so cute. It's hard to not love her. I really enjoyed the Rockman Zero audio drama, "Alouette's Good Day". It was really cute and funny and helped expand on things that happen around the Resistance base. In that drama, Alouette calls Ciel "Ciel onee-chan", or "big sister Ciel", which is why I'm having Alouette affectionately refer to Ciel as "Sis".**

**Again, this chapter is unchanged from the original. The newer chapters I made will be posted next.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Iris nervously stood in front of the head medical Reploid. Rocinolle was slightly taller than Milan and wore a beige nurse outfit over her Resistance uniform. Her brown hair was tied up in a bun, and her head was topped with a nurse's hat.

"Ah, you must be the new girl, Iris," Rocinolle greeted warmly.

"Yes, ma'am," Iris replied. "Dr. Ciel said I could join the medical staff and told me to find you."

"Well, it's always nice to have a new member on board. So many Reploids come back injured from their missions, and sometimes we're completely overwhelmed."

"I'll do whatever I can to help," Iris assured.

Rocinolle went right to showing Iris how to perform basic Reploid medical procedures, including properly binding wounds, making slings and bandages, and performing some basic skeletal repairs. She also gave Iris tips on keeping a patient calm, which was essential during the more delicate procedures. If a Reploid started panicking while internal damage was being repaired, he or she could unintentionally cause further injury.

It was a lot to learn, and Iris's shyness didn't help matters. Rocinolle remained patient with her, however, and by the end of the day Iris felt that she had a pretty good grasp on her new duties. She bid Rocinolle farewell and prepared to retire to her room. A gnawing sensation emerged in her gut, informing her that she would have to replenish her energy supplies. She worked up her courage and asked another Reploid where she could find some E-crystals, and he happily directed her to the energy room. Once there, Iris ate just enough crystals to sate her hunger and gathered a few more to keep in her room for herself.

Before she shut down for the day, she decided to fulfill her promise to Alouette and check on Ciel. As she expected, the scientist was still hard at work trying to find Zero. Passy buzzed around Ciel's head in an attempt to dissuade her, but the Cyber Elf was ignored.

"Dr. Ciel, don't you think you should take a break?" asked Iris.

"I'm fine. I can keep going," Ciel insisted.

"You don't look fine to me. In fact, you look like you're about to drop dead," Iris noted. "Alouette's really worried about you, you know."

Ciel stopped typing and removed her visor. "It's true. I haven't been spending as much time with Alouette as I should."

"You should rest for tonight. I doubt she'd be happy to play with an exhausted older sister."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to stop for now. Okay, I'll go get some sleep."

Ciel got up from her computer and headed for her bedroom. Once she was out of sight, Passy stared wide-eyed at Iris. "I'm amazed. She actually listened to you."

"I think it's more of a matter of her feeling bad about not paying attention to Alouette than anything," said Iris. "Although I probably could have put her into bed myself if I really had to."

"So, Alouette put you up to this task?" asked Passy.

"Yeah. I couldn't just say no to her. And she has a good reason to be worried. Humans aren't as durable as Reploids, and they can get ill if they're too tired or stressed."

"Very true. But knowing Ciel, it won't be long before she's back to overworking herself."

"Then I'll just have to keep an eye on her. It's getting late now, so I'll be heading to bed myself. I'll see you tomorrow, Passy."

"Good night, Iris."

The next morning, Iris heard a knock at her door while she brushed her hair. Wondering who would want to be seeing her, she opened the door.

"Oh, Milan!" she exclaimed softly. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing," Milan replied. "It seems you're starting to adjust to life in the Resistance."

"Um, I guess," Iris mumbled as she poked her fingers together. "I got recruited into the medical team, but it's kind of hard learning everything from scratch."

"Don't worry about it. You'll catch on soon enough, and there's always a steady supply of patients for you to practice on."

Iris winced. "Reploids get injured that often?"

"Well, we are completely outgunned and outnumbered," Milan admitted. "We've only been managing to hold out by using guerilla tactics, and even then, it's very rare that we come out unscathed."

"Yes, Dr. Ciel told me as such. That's why she's searching so desperately for―"

Milan quickly covered Iris's mouth. "Best not to say that name around here."

"Why?"

"The Resistance members all respect Dr. Ciel as a leader, and we're all close as family, but most of us think she's chasing a fairy tale. If someone catches a newbie like you believing in the same fairy tale, they're going to think you've got a major programming glitch."

"Oh." Iris felt sheepish. "Um, what about you, Milan? Do you think Dr. Ciel is chasing a fairy tale?"

"Dr. Ciel is a very intelligent woman. She knows this is our last shot, legend or not. I'll admit I'm not completely convinced that you know who exists, but I do know that if she fails, we're all doomed."

Iris swallowed hard. "I…didn't realize things were this bad."

"I'm sorry. I know this is a lot for you to take in, especially with you being newly activated. But you have to remember that if we give up, were doomed anyway. So try to stay positive, and trust Dr. Ciel."

"All right."

"Good," said Milan. "Now then, since that's out of the way, I was wondering if you'd like a tour around the base."

"Well, I did get a basic layout of the base yesterday, but I don't know where everything is," Iris admitted. "I guess a guided tour wouldn't hurt. After all, I don't have to be in the infirmary until this afternoon."

"That's great!" exclaimed Milan. "Now then, stay close, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask."

The first place they stopped on their tour was Ciel's lab. Iris was already familiar with the location and let Milan know as such. They knocked on the door, but Passy told them that the scientist was busy with her research as usual. Next, Milan led Iris to a large lift elevator. The two rode it down to the basement, where a small decrepit metal shack lay.

"This is Cerveau's lab," said Milan.

"Cerveau?"

"He's our engineer, so he's smart. Really smart. In fact, only Dr. Ciel has more brains than him. He uses this place to design weapons and technology for us."

As if on cue, a loud explosion rang out, causing Iris to shriek. Black smoke began to billow out of the shack's windows, and numerous curses rang through the air.

Milan sighed. "There he goes again."

"Does this happen a lot?" asked Iris.

"More than any of us would like. Come on. Let's go make sure he hasn't hurt himself."

Iris cautiously followed Milan into Cerveau's lab. The smoke made it hard to see, but she could make out a silhouette furiously waving his hands.

"Of all the―I was _this _close!" the figure shouted.

"Cerveau! Are you alright?" Milan called.

"What the―Milan?" The smoke finally cleared, revealing an older-looking male Reploid clad in Resistance clothing and wearing a white visor over his eyes. His skin and clothing were covered with soot. "Can't you leave a Reploid to experiment in peace?"

"Not if said experiment causes bodily injury," Milan quipped. "Look, I even brought a medic with me!"

"A medic?"

Iris squeaked and hid behind Milan as Cerveau lifted his visor and approached them. His dark eyes crinkled into a smile as he inspected Iris.

"Well, aren't you a shy one?" he said. "My name is Cerveau. I'm the Resistance's engineer. There's no need to be afraid of me."

"Actually, there is," Milan whispered. "One time, I happened to be in the wrong place when one of his experiments went awry, and a piece of debris almost dented my forehead."

"You be quiet!" Cerveau yelled, earning a giggle from Iris. "Don't listen to him. He should know better than to bother me while I'm experimenting."

"I see," said Iris. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Cerveau. My name is Iris."

"Iris? That's a very pretty name, young lady," said Cerveau. "I'll be honored to have you as my medic if the need calls."

"Th-thank you," Iris stuttered, blushing slightly.

"I think we've spent enough time here," said Milan as he grabbed Iris's hand. "Try not to blow yourself up, Cerveau."

"Hey!" the engineer snapped.

Milan quickly led Iris out of the basement and continued the tour. He showed her some of the areas where Reploids liked to relax, an unused kitchen and cafeteria, the laundry rooms, lookout sites, and so on. Many other Reploids greeted them, but Iris hid behind Milan every time someone approached.

"Iris, you're going to be living with these Reploids from now on," Milan gently chided. "It would do you well to get to know them."

"I know," moaned Iris. "I just… I just don't know what to say to them. What if I mess up and they think I'm weird?"

"No one thinks you're weird. They just want to get to know you."

"But—"

"Well, who do we have here?"

Iris jumped and yelped at the new voice. It came from a Reploid that looked very old. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that hid his eyes.

"Andrew!" Milan exclaimed awkwardly. "Er, nice of you to drop by. Look, we're kind of in a hurry, so—"

"Nonsense. I just wanted a few words with this young lady right here," said Andrew.

"Me?" Iris squeaked.

"You, my dear, remind me very much of my wife when she was alive," said Andrew. "That was a very long time ago, though. I used to be quite handsome back in the day, you know."

"Um—"

"I can still picture her now. Her long hair, her sweet voice that moved me to my core. She was a human and I was a Reploid, but we were very much in love."

"Mr. Andrew—"

"As the years went on, she grew old while I stayed the same, and she became ashamed to show herself around me. But Dr. Ciel modified my body so we could live together for the rest of her days."

"Um, that's nice, but―"

"If she were around now, I'm sure she would've been delighted to meet you. You're a beautiful young lady, and the lad that earns your love will be very lucky indeed."

Iris's face resembled a ripe tomato. Things had gotten very awkward very quickly. Luckily, Milan saved her by shoving her away from the old Reploid.

"Thanks Andrew, but we really need to get going," he said hastily.

"Don't be a stranger now, young lady!" Andrew called.

"Sorry about Andrew," Milan said once they were safely out of sight. "He likes to talk about the past. A lot. He'll go on for hours sometimes and not even notice when everyone leaves."

"I…see," Iris said. She paused. "Am I really that pretty?"

"Ah, um," Milan stammered, his cheeks turning pink. "W-well, I don't know what Andrew's wife looked like, but he always talks about her fondly, so I imagine he's not mistaken. And…you are pretty cute, Iris."

"Th-thank you, Milan," Iris mumbled as she blushed harder. "And um, thank you for showing me around. I had a pretty good time today. Um…it's almost time for me to start my medical shift. "

"Mind if I walk you to the infirmary?" asked Milan.

"Not at all. I'd like that."

While Milan escorted her, Iris pondered the strange new feelings she was experiencing. She was able to identify bashfulness, embarrassment, and…delight. She liked that Milan and Andrew thought she was pretty. She played with her hair, making a note to take extra-good care of it from now on.

"We're here," Milan announced.

"Thanks again, Milan," said Iris.

"It was my pleasure," he beamed. "I'll be seeing you around. Good luck at work."

Iris nodded and entered the infirmary. She immediately began to search for Rocinolle. She had a good grasp of the techniques, but she didn't feel confident enough to treat a live patient yet.

"Oy there!"

Iris jumped for the second time that day as she was suddenly addressed. The speaker was a female Reploid wearing a nurse's outfit similar to Rocinolle's along with the traditional green Resistance beret. She had short curly red hair and dark brown eyes, and her voice seemed a bit…off to Iris.

"What'cha doing wandering around like a lost puppy?" the Reploid asked.

"Um, I was just looking for Rocinolle," Iris answered softly.

"Oh, that's right. You're the newbie. Iris, was it?" The Reploid held out her hand. "The name's Aigel. Be a pleasure working with you, mate."

"Er, thank you," Iris said as she took Aigel's hand. "Um, are you functioning okay? No offense, but you talk kinda funny."

"It's just the accent I was designed with. Folks used to talk like this all the time in some parts of the world."

"Uh, okay."

"Now then, Iris―say, mind if I call you Riss? It suits you."

Iris blinked, unsure how to react. "Um… Sure. If that's what you'd like."

"Riss it is, then!" Aigel exclaimed, sounding quite delighted. "Okay Riss, the boss is a bit busy at the moment, so I'll be your coach for now. Just follow my lead, and you'll be fitting in here in no time."

"Okay."

Aigel led Iris deeper into the infirmary. The beds there were full of injured Resistance soldiers. Their injuries ranged from minor burns and cuts to lost limbs, and everything in between.

"I know this ain't a pretty job, mate, but someone's gotta do it," Aigel whispered, noticing Iris's discomfort. "The number of injured that come in is so great that we can barely keep up. There are only about twenty of us here on the medical staff, so at this point, any new members are welcome. Right then, why don't we assist this fellow here?"

Iris grimaced at the sorry state the Reploid was in. His lower leg was bent in a way it shouldn't be, and it was clear that he was in a lot of pain.

"Tibia fracture," said Aigel. "He most likely got hurt during a retreat. I'm going to set his frame back in place. Riss, you go get the binding polymer."

Iris did as instructed and tried not to wince at the Reploid's pained cries as Aigel reset his leg. Iris then bound the Reploid's injury with sheets of the binding polymer, forming a sturdy cast. The two medics then provided their patient with E-crystals so he could regain his strength.

"Don't be moving that leg for a few weeks at least," Aigel warned the Reploid. "Skeletal injuries take the longest to heal."

"Yes, ma'am," he moaned softly.

"Nice job there, Riss," said Aigel. "For a rookie, you ain't doing half-bad. You're so delicate-looking that I was half-expecting you to faint from all the oil 'round here."

"I do feel a little sick," Iris admitted. "I wish there was something we could do to ease their pain."

"Anesthetics are in short supply, and even then, they're ineffective on Reploids," explained Aigel. "The only thing we can do is repair the damage as quickly as possible so their pain receptors stop acting up."

"We'd better hurry then," said Iris. "There's still tons of Reploids that need our help."

"Right you are, mate."

Iris kept busy the whole afternoon assisting Aigel with patients. It gave her plenty of opportunity to practice her medical skills and build confidence. The urgency of the situation gave her no time to be shy. In the end, they only managed to treat or visit a few dozen of the injured Reploids, but Aigel assured it was a good start for her first real day as a medic.

"Good work, rookie," the older medic said when their shift ended. "Keep that up and you'll soon be on par with me."

"I didn't really do that much," Iris murmured.

"Aww, no need to be modest, Riss," Aigel said as she put her hand on Iris's shoulder. "You did just fine. Everyone's gotta start somewhere, y'know? I'll build you up to the more complex stuff soon enough."

"Thank you, Aigel," said Iris.

"It's no problem, mate. I'm always happy to lend a hand. You go eat and get some rest now. We've got another busy day tomorrow."

Later that evening, Iris sat in her room, nibbling on E-crystals and thinking about the day. Her new job was going to take some getting used to, but Aigel had proved to be a helpful, if strange, ally. She was also grateful to Milan for how kind he had been to her since her awakening. She wanted to get closer to those two and get to know them better. Maybe she could be―what was the word she was looking for―friends with them.

It wouldn't be easy, as she was still a little uncomfortable talking to other people, but she trusted Milan and Aigel seemed nice enough. It was decided. Starting tomorrow, she'd try to work up the courage to approach them on her own. With that settled, she curled up on her bed and shut herself down for the night.

* * *

**Here is the start of the new content. The original Chapter 3 was exceedingly rushed, and I knew that even when I first wrote it. But I had already promised an update schedule at the time and I was stuck on what to do, so up it went. It was only months later when I decided to start fixing it. Thus, I wrote this after a long bout of writer's block. But then new ideas came flooding in on me, and before I knew it, I ended up changing a lot more than I originally intended. I once again apologize for any and all confusion that this caused.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Several weeks had passed since Iris's introduction into the Resistance. The young Reploid had now fallen into a routine. In the morning, she would wake up and get herself ready before visiting Ciel and Alouette. After that, she would chat with Milan or Aigel if they had free time, and she occasionally visited Cerveau in his lab to see what he was working on. In the afternoon, she would have her hands full in the infirmary assisting the injured Resistance soldiers. By the time she finished each of her shifts, she was left exhausted and hungry. She would return to her room immediately after work, eat her quota of E-crystals, and then shut down for the day, starting the whole cycle over again.

On this particular morning, Iris was having a friendly talk with Aigel before their shared medical shift.

"So Riss, what's going on between you and Milan these days?" asked Aigel.

"What do you mean by that, Aigel?"

"I mean that you've been sticking to him like an iron filing to a magnet. There ain't nothing going on between you two, is there?"

"No, not really," said Iris. "But it was Milan's team that found me, so I just feel more comfortable with him than the others."

"Might want to tone it down a bit, mate," Aigel warned. "Rumors spread 'round here faster than you can blink. You don't want the others getting the wrong idea."

"What should I do, then? I don't want to stop seeing Milan."

"Simple. You get yourself another job."

"Like what?"

Aigel closed her eyes in thought. "Well, what are you good at besides fixing other Reploids up?"

"I…don't know," Iris answered sadly. "I don't even know why I was built in the first place."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing, mate. All that means is you gotta reach out, try new things, and find what it is you need to do. Hey, I know!" She snapped her fingers. "Dunno if you've noticed, but the Doc's been looking a tad thin, lately. She's been so busy that she hasn't had much time to eat. Why don't ya try cooking for her?"

"Huh?!" Iris exclaimed. "Me, cook?! For a human? B-but I don't know a thing about cooking!"

"True, but you picked up on how to patch up a Reploid quickly enough," reasoned Aigel. "Besides, unlike most of us, you've got loads of time to kill. It can't hurt to try."

Iris considered it. It was true that Ciel hadn't been eating well, and Aigel was right about her having plenty of free time.

"Well… I guess I could give it a try," said Iris.

"That's the spirit, Riss!" exclaimed Aigel. "Maybe now that big ol' kitchen will stop collectin' dust!

"Um, sure. I just hope I don't make an even bigger disaster in the process."

"You'll be fine. I have faith in you, Riss."

"If you say so."

The next morning, Iris got up earlier than usual so she would have extra time for her coming task. She was a bundle of nerves as she entered the abandoned kitchen. It was very dark inside, forcing her to fumble for a light switch. Eventually, she found one and flipped it. The overhead lights lazily flickered to life, lifting both the darkness and some of the nervousness in Iris's core.

The kitchen had clearly seen better days. Every inch of the place, from the tile floors to the rusty metal cupboards, was covered in dust and grime. The cabinet doors were chipped and corroded, and mold thrived in every corner and crevice. Iris balked at the mess and assumed several decades had passed since it was last cleaned.

The first thing she knew she had to do was at least make the place sanitary. Humans were vulnerable to disease, especially when their food or water was contaminated, and Ciel didn't need to be sick on top of her other problems. Iris recalled the supply closet Passy had directed her to before and gathered a load of cleaning supplies from it. She filled a large bucket with water and soap, grabbed a sponge and a mop, and began to tackle the gargantuan mess.

The kitchen was so soiled that she was forced to replace her soapy water every ten minutes. Every time she dumped her bucket, the liquid released was colored a putrid grey. Her progress was slow but steady, and while the work was hard, she also found it oddly rewarding when she at last found a shiny surface hidden under the layers of dirt.

Three hours later, Iris had one-fourth of the kitchen sparkling. The same couldn't be said for her body. She inspected the dirt that now coated her skin and clothes and concluded that she needed a sound power wash before she started her medical shift.

On her way to the showers, she drew the eyes of many Resistance members. No doubt they were wondering what on earth happened to her. After all, she had never gotten so dirty before, and now she probably looked like she had been playing in a grey mud puddle.

Reploid showers were different from human showers. Since Reploids generally only had one set of clothing, each stall contained a special washing machine specifically for Reploid outfits. Iris removed her dress, beret, and hair tie and placed them in the washer before turning the shower's sprayer on. A powerful jet of water shot out of the nozzle, pulverizing the grime on her body. Such high pressure would be painful or even dangerous for a human, but for a Reploid, it was like getting a massage. Iris closed her eyes and enjoyed the spray for a while. Then, she grabbed some Reploid shampoo and worked it through her long hair.

After fifteen minutes, she walked out of the shower feeling refreshed. She wrapped a towel around her body and retrieved her clothes from the washing machine. While they were still damp, they didn't absorb water like normal cloth, so they would dry on their own soon enough. After a quick towel dry, Iris redressed herself and headed for the infirmary.

"So, how'd it go?" Aigel asked as soon as Iris arrived.

"The place is a disaster," Iris responded. "I can't even think about cooking until the dirt's all gone."

"Oh, right," said Aigel. "I kinda forgot about that bit, mate. Sorry."

"It's alright. I'm working on cleaning it up."

"Wait, what?! You're telling me you got on your hands and knees and scrubbed that dirt hole yourself?!"

"Yes. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Crikey, of course not! I just didn't think you were the type to get your hands dirty, is all. You're full of surprises, Riss."

"Um… Thanks?"

For the next several days, cleaning the kitchen was Iris's personal pet project. Each day before work, she spent a few hours in the kitchen and another quarter of an hour cleaning her body. It didn't take long for Milan to notice her new habits, and he soon confronted her about it. He was astonished at what she was doing and asked why she didn't request any help.

"Well, everyone else was busy," was her reply.

"In other words, you were too afraid to ask," concluded Milan. Iris's flinch told him he hit the nail on the head. "Iris, there's no shame in asking anyone to help you."

"B-but―"

"No one thinks you're a bother, Iris. Again, if you need help, tons of us are here, ready and willing."

"But I'm nearly finished cleaning that kitchen anyways!" blurted Iris.

"Then just keep it in mind for next time," said Milan.

"A-alright," Iris replied.

It took only one more day for Iris to finish with the kitchen. The difference was like night and day. Every surface was polished to a shine, and nary a speck of dirt could be seen anywhere. She wiped her brow, feeling proud of her accomplishment. She then frowned, remembering that by knocking down one obstacle, she faced another: she now had this huge kitchen to work in, but she didn't know the first thing about cooking.

"Well, no use worrying about it now," she stated. "I'll take a shower first, and then figure out what to do."

No sooner had she walked out of the kitchen when she heard a number of voices yell, "GET HER!"

Iris stood frozen in shock as a tiny thing zoomed by her, followed by a stampede of mostly male Reploids. As the dust cleared, all Iris could do was wonder what on earth was going on.

"Riss!" Aigel jogged up to her, huffing and puffing.

"Aigel! What the heck happened?"

"It's one of the Cyber Elves! She got loose!"

"Got loose?" Iris repeated.

"A group of soldiers found her not long ago and she was being held in the Doc's lab for study, but she made a break for it when Ciel got careless," said Aigel. "Now she's tearing through the base like a Tasmanian Devil and making fun of every guy she comes across."

"Oh. I…I see."

"Well, don't just stand there like an idiot, Riss! Come help catch her!"

Without waiting for Iris to respond, Aigel rejoined the chase after the stray Cyber Elf. Iris blinked a few times as her processor struggled to keep up with what had just happened.

"Whew, that was a close one," a voice said from nearby.

Iris shrieked and leapt into the air. "Who's there?!"

"Whoa, chill out, kid," said the voice. "It's not like I'm gonna bite ya."

"Where are you? Show yourself!" Iris demanded.

"Gimme a sec. There're a lot of tangles in here."

"Huh?"

A moment later, a tiny figure flew out of Iris's hair and presented itself to her. The being was clearly a Cyber Elf, but her design was very unusual. Her wings resembled those of a butterfly, and two curly pink strands of her otherwise blond hair gave her the appearance of having antennae.

"Hmm, so your name's Riss, is it?" asked the Cyber Elf.

"Um, actually, it's Iris," Iris corrected.

"Is that so? Well, I like Riss better," said the Cyber Elf. "Anyway, my name is Lumen. Nice to meet ya, kid."

"Er…likewise," said Iris. "Wait, are you the Cyber Elf that everyone was chasing earlier?"

"Yup. Some guys just can't take a joke, I guess."

"What did you say to them?!"

Lumen shrugged. "Just a thing or two about them not being attractive. Seriously, there're enough dudes here. You'd think there'd be _one_ hottie among them."

"L-Lumen!" Iris exclaimed, red-faced. "Y-you go apologize to them right now!"

"And risk getting stuffed into a glass container again? No thanks," said Lumen.

"How'd you escape from them anyway?!" demanded Iris. "I know I saw you fly by! When did you hide in my hair?"

"I gave 'em the slip not long after passing by here. After that, I just backtracked and found the easiest place to hide. No offense kid, but you're far from the most observant Reploid out there."

"Hey!" Iris yelled.

"Now then, I've got a deal for you, Riss," said Lumen. "You keep that scientist from putting me in a cage, and I'll help you out with whatever you want."

"Wh-wha? But I don't need any help!"

"Aw, come on. I can tell you're having problems with something just by looking at ya."

"But I―"

"Let me guess. You slaved away cleaning that big kitchen over there, but you don't know a thing about cooking, right?"

"How did you―"

"Well, I may not be a cooking pro, but I'm sure I can show you a thing or two. What do you say?"

"Um," said Iris. "Well, it is true that I don't know the first thing about cooking. And Milan did tell me that I should ask for help when I need it. Alright then, you've got yourself a deal, Lumen."

"Great to hear!" the Cyber Elf exclaimed.

"On one condition!" Iris interrupted. "You have to go and apologize for all the trouble you caused."

Lumen sighed. "Alright, fine. As long as you make sure they don't lock me up."

Iris brought Lumen back to Ciel, and after a bit of persuasion, the scientist consented to having the Cyber Elf stay with Iris. However, Ciel requested to have Lumen for study once a week, to which Lumen complied on the condition that she not be held in a container. Afterwards, Ciel summoned all of the Resistance members so Lumen could apologize to all of them. They still seemed a little angry, but for the most part the Cyber Elf's mischief was forgiven.

That night, Iris collapsed into her bed, utterly exhausted. "What a day."

"You said it, Riss," said Lumen. "But we can't let up. After all, your lessons start tomorrow."

"Lessons?"

"Cooking lessons, of course. Did you forget already?"

"Oh, yeah," said Iris.

Lumen sighed and shook her head. "Are you always this spacey?"

"No!" Iris snapped.

"Ha, I'm just teasing. But seriously, you've gotta learn to pay more attention. Someone might just take advantage of your carelessness one of these days."

"Sorry."

"Well, it's good you have me around, then," said Lumen. "Don't worry, Riss, I'll watch your back for you."

"Um, thanks, I guess," mumbled Iris.

"Better get some sleep, kid. We've got a long day tomorrow."

"Don't worry. I'll get to sleep soon. But first, I have a question for you, Lumen."

"What is it?"

"What exactly is your power as a Cyber Elf? I know all Cyber Elves have a unique ability that helps Reploids, but you seem a little different from other Cyber Elves."

When Lumen did not answer right away, Iris backpedaled. "Err, I mean, if you don't feel like telling me, that's fine. I-I was just curious. Sorry for being nosy."

"It's fine," said Lumen. "You just took me a little off guard. In all honesty, I don't really have a 'power', per say. More like…a talent."

"A talent?"

"Yeah. It's left that scientist stumped. She's been studying me for days now and can't figure me out."

"Wait, I thought Dr. Ciel was busy searching for Zero."

"She's been doing that, too. I've been more of a side project, so to speak."

"I see. So what is your talent?" Iris asked.

"It'd be easier to just show you," Lumen responded. "But first, you gotta get to sleep."

"What? Why?"

"First, it's clear that you need your rest. And second, I'd rather not draw a crowd in here."

Iris was baffled, but decided to obey Lumen's strange request anyway. She settled into bed and closed her eyes, and it seemed barely a moment had passed when she found herself on the black plane of her dreams. This time, however, the figure she saw before was nowhere to be found. Instead, she was surprised to see a familiar face.

It was Lumen. Or at the very least, it was a person who looked very much like Lumen. She still had that strange, butterfly-like appearance, wings and all, but she now had the size and proportions of a human. Iris opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but Lumen raised a finger to her lips to silence her. The humanoid Cyber Elf floated away a short distance and closed her eyes. Then, Lumen opened her mouth, and wondrous sound emerged from it.

"_Eternally, we will be in each other's memory…"_

It was incredible. Lumen's voice was unlike Iris had ever heard before. Her database informed her that this was called "singing", and it was a talent normally restricted to humans. Reploids could only mimic what they had heard, like a recording, and Cyber Elves had no need for such a frivolous thing. Lumen, however, was obviously the exception to the rule. Iris now understood why Lumen had made her request; everyone who heard this song would've gathered in Iris's room to listen.

As she sang, Lumen spun and danced through the air, creating a display nearly as beautiful as her voice. She rose and fell with the flow of the song, as if she were a part of it. At the end, she performed one last spin and bowed deeply. Iris was at first too captivated to react, but she soon broke into applause.

"Lumen, that was amazing!" she exclaimed.

"Thank you," said Lumen. "It was my pleasure."

"How are you in my dreams, though?" wondered Iris.

"That is just another one of my talents. However, I only use it when I want to ensure a private audience."

"I see. Well, thank you for letting me listen to you. That was the first time I ever heard someone singing before."

Lumen beamed. "Well, I'd better get going now. I need my rest, too. Good night, kid."

"Good night, Lumen."

With that, the Cyber Elf vanished into sparkles of light. Iris smiled widely before drifting off, Lumen's haunting voice still filling her ears.

* * *

**And here is the last chapter I wrote while the previous version of the story was still up. For those who don't know, Lumen is actually a character from Azure Striker Gunvolt, which is the spiritual successor to the Mega Man Zero series. And I love it. I felt like Lumen would actually fit quite well into this story as a Cyber Elf due to her design and the fact that she is a virtual avatar in Gunvolt (to the point where at first Gunvolt believes she is a computer program). And I adore her personality. Unfortunately nearly all of her flavor text was removed from the English version due to time constraints, but from the handful of lines she does have, I grew to like her a lot. I will probably be winging it again with her personality, but I will do my best. **

**The song Lumen is singing here is "Eternal Blue" by Sakicho Hara. It is the English version of "Beyond the Blue", which is one of Lumen's songs in Gunvolt. And I love it to bits. I strongly recommend you give it a listen.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Come on, Riss! Geez, you're such a slowpoke!"

"Lumen, it's five in the morning. It's too early for me to be sprinting!"

"Well, you want to surprise Ciel with breakfast, don't you? So, we've gotta get moving!"

Suppressing a yawn, Iris struggled to keep up with the spritely Cyber Elf. She liked to consider herself a morning person, but this was pushing it, even for her. She wondered where Lumen got all her energy from.

"Where are we going, anyway?" asked Iris. "This isn't the way to the kitchen."

"The pantry, of course!" exclaimed Lumen. "How do you think you're gonna cook without any ingredients? Come on, get a move on!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

The base's pantry was not a place often visited. The only person who required anything from it was Ciel due to her organic nature. As a result, the place was quite dusty, although it was not nearly as dirty as the kitchen had been. The metal shelves were lined with various non-perishables, which primarily consisted of canned, microwavable goods that the Resistance soldiers had managed to procure on their missions.

Lumen fluttered about the room and examined the stock while muttering to herself. "Aha!" she exclaimed at last.

"What is it, Lumen?" asked Iris.

The Cyber Elf gestured to a medium-sized bottle filled with a yellowish liquid. "Cooking oil. One of a chef's necessities."

"Okay," Iris said, taking the bottle in hand.

"Oooh, ground coffee," Lumen noted as she hovered near a box labeled "Coffee". "Take a bag of this stuff, too. Workaholics love it."

Iris did as instructed while Lumen performed one last survey of the pantry. The Cyber Elf then took a blue can into her hands and dropped it into Iris's arms.

"Spam?" Iris read aloud. "What a strange name for food."

"No one really knows why it's called that, but it's basically canned ham," Lumen explained. "It's not exactly high quality stuff, but it keeps for a long time. It'll have to do."

Lumen led Iris back to kitchen and had her place the goods on the counter. She then buzzed around the cabinets and ordered Iris to open them. After a few minutes of searching, she found what she had been looking for. It was a circular piece of metal with a handle, and it seemed to be made to hold something.

"It's a frying pan, kid," Lumen explained. "Take that to the stove."

"Stove?"

A tiny smack rang through the air as Lumen's palm collided with her forehead. "You really are clueless, aren't you? Alright, I'll show you."

Lumen showed Iris the stove and explained how to operate it. It was an old electric model, with heating coils on top and an oven for baking. Lumen instructed Iris to coat the frying pan with oil and then allow the oil to heat up on the stove.

"When it starts to bubble, it's ready," explained Lumen. "In the meantime, is there a coffee machine around here?"

"Uh―"

"Never mind. I'll look for it myself. Just let me know when that oil's hot and ready!"

It took only a few minutes for the oil to begin sizzling. Iris called for Lumen, and the Cyber Elf arrived holding a knife. Following Lumen's instructions, Iris opened the can of Spam and used the knife to cut the pinkish block of meat into thin slices. She then dropped the slices into the hot oil. Iris flinched at the sharp hiss that echoed out as the Spam touched the frying pan.

"That's normal. Don't worry about it," soothed Lumen. "Now, we need to let those cook for a little while, and then we've gotta flip 'em. There's gotta be a spatula or pancake flipper in here somewhere. And stop giving me that dumbfounded look. If you don't know what those are, look them up in your database."

Iris grinned sheepishly, feeling foolish for not having thought of that in the first place. "Ah, sorry. I guess I'm not fully awake."

"Well, you'd better wake up, soon! We can't let Ciel's breakfast burn!"

Lumen found Iris a flipper, and when she determined the Spam had been cooked enough, Iris flipped each slice over so the other side could cook. A few more minutes passed before Lumen deemed the Spam was ready. She ordered Iris to turn off the stove and then slide the meat onto a plate.

"I did manage to find a coffee machine in here," said Lumen. "It's a little dinged up, but it should still work. It just needs a filter. So you bring that plate to Ciel, and I'll go see if I can find some coffee filters."

Iris headed for Ciel's lab with the plate of Spam in hand and was not at all surprised to be greeted by a disgruntled Passy. Ciel had spent the whole night working and was currently still glued to her computer chair.

Iris smiled softly while Passy ranted on and on. "Um, I brought breakfast for Dr. Ciel," she said.

Passy immediately stopped her rant and stared at the Reploid. "Wait, you _cooked_?"

"Yeah, with Lumen's help," said Iris.

"Then hurry up and bring that in!" barked Passy. "Ciel hasn't eaten anything since last night!"

Iris placed the plate of food on Ciel's desk, but it took some persuasion from both her and Passy to get the scientist to eat it. After that, Iris ordered Ciel to get some rest. Ciel protested, so Iris sighed and reluctantly lifted her into her arms and put her to bed. Ciel was even lighter than she looked, which worried Iris. The Reploid mentally noted that she was going to have to master the art of cooking soon, or else Ciel might starve to death.

With Passy keeping an eye on Ciel, Iris returned to Lumen, who had found the coffee filters. She informed the Cyber Elf that the coffee would have to wait since Ciel was in bed. However, Lumen still showed Iris how to work the coffee machine, including how to program it to dispense at a particular time.

After that, Lumen taught Iris all sorts of cooking basics, such as how to boil water, how to work the oven, and cooking meat to the proper internal temperature. It was a lot to learn, but Iris did her best to commit everything to memory. While she was learning to use a handheld can opener, Milan arrived unexpectedly.

"Iris!" he greeted.

"Oh, Milan! Good morning," said Iris. "What brings you here?"

"What do you think? Everyone's talking about how you made Dr. Ciel breakfast."

Iris stared at him. "Everyone? So…nobody in this whole base knows how to cook?"

"A few of us do, but they've all either been assigned to missions or are currently injured," he responded. "So everyone appreciates what you did. Especially Alouette."

She blushed and smiled shyly. "Um, actually, the whole thing was Aigel's idea. I never would have thought to do it on my own."

"Is that so?" he asked. "I'll have to thank her later, then. But you still deserve credit for doing something you were unfamiliar with."

"Th-thanks, Milan," she said.

He smiled at her. "You're welcome. I have to get ready for today's mission now, so I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay. See you later, Milan. Good luck!"

After Milan exited the kitchen, Lumen gave Iris a questioning stare. "Riss, do you have a thing for that guy?"

"Wh-what? No, of course not!" Iris shrieked. "We're just friends!"

"Really? Well, I'd suggest you'd keep it that way, then," said Lumen. "You deserve a far better man than that."

"And by 'better', I assume you mean 'more attractive'?" Iris asked.

Lumen shrugged. "Details."

"Lumen!"

"I'm kidding!" Lumen exclaimed. "Well, mostly."

"'Mostly'?"

"No offense, Riss, but considering how spacey and clueless you are, you need a man who can look out for you."

"I thought you said that's what you were for," remarked Iris.

"I did, but all I can do is watch your back," said Lumen. "If someone physically threatens you, there's little I can do to protect you."

"Milan's a Resistance soldier. He knows what he's doing," said Iris. "I trust that he and the rest of the soldiers will be able to protect me and everyone else in the base."

"If you say so," said Lumen.

Later that day, when Iris had to go on her medical shift, she gave Lumen a stern lecture and warned her to not cause any trouble while she was working. Lumen looked exasperated, but agreed to Iris's terms before flying off. Iris's shift then proceeded as usual until she was interrupted later that afternoon by a voice echoing over the PA system.

"Everyone, may I have your attention, please?" It was Ciel. "As you all know, I have spent the last several months researching the legendary Maverick Hunter Zero's whereabouts. I am pleased to announce that I have finally located him!"

The infirmary instantly broke out into heated discussion. From the various conversations, Iris could make out things like, "Is she serious?" and "There's no way!"

"At this time, I would like every able-bodied Resistance soldier to gather in the main hall," said Ciel. "Once everyone has arrived, I will give an in-depth briefing."

More conversation exploded among the bedridden Reploids and their caretakers. If all of the soldiers were being summoned, this was very important indeed. Iris recalled that Ciel had said Zero was their last hope. It was likely that Ciel would only choose the best soldiers for this mission.

"RISS!" Lumen suddenly burst into the infirmary.

"Lumen!" exclaimed Iris.

"Did you hear that announcement just a minute ago?" asked Lumen.

"The whole base heard it," remarked Iris.

"Isn't this great? We finally get to meet a legend!"

"I guess."

"What do you mean, 'I guess'?"

"Dr. Ciel only found Zero's location," said Iris. "Actually getting him to come here is a different. What if Zero didn't want to be found? What if he refuses to help us? What if he…turns against us?"

"Geez, way to kill the mood, kid," said Lumen. "I'll admit you have a point, but Ciel's betting everything on Zero. You know as well as I do that if this fails, we're through. The least you can do is try to be optimistic."

"A-alright."

When Iris's shift was done, she tiredly trudged back to her room, with Lumen hovering over her shoulder the whole time. On her way there, she bumped into Milan.

"Hey, Iris. What's up? You look beat," he said.

"Yeah, well, everyone got pretty riled up by today's announcement," Iris explained. "My patients were too excited to stay still, so I ended up working a little overtime…"

"Well, it was a pretty big announcement," Milan remarked, laughing nervously. A heavy silence seemed to descend on them.

"Alright, what's up, Visor Boy?" Lumen interjected.

"Lumen!" scolded Iris.

Milan averted his eyes. "I…actually came to tell you something. You see… I was chosen for the mission party tomorrow."

"Wha? Really?!" exclaimed Iris.

"Yes. And not only that, Dr. Ciel and Passy will be accompanying us."

"Wha…WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"Shh! Not so loud!" Milan hissed. "Of course, we all protested, but Dr. Ciel insisted that she come along. She says Zero will likely be protected by a powerful security system, and she's the only one with the ability to shut such a system down."

"Oh. I see."

"Dr. Ciel has put Cerveau in charge of base operations during her absence, so don't consider tomorrow a day off."

"I wouldn't think of it," said Iris.

"And if she does, I'll be sure to snap her out of it," added Lumen.

"One more thing. Can I ask you a favor?" asked Milan.

"Sure."

"We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning, so could you look after Alouette while Dr. Ciel is gone?"

Iris nodded. "I can watch her until I have to go to work."

"Good," said Milan. "If all goes well, we should be back before then."

"Okay, I'll do my best. Good night, Milan. And good luck tomorrow!"

The rest of Iris's trip was silent until she reached her bedroom. Then, Lumen spoke up.

"I knew it. You have a crush on Visor Boy."

"Lumen!" Iris exclaimed. "I told you, we're just friends! A-and stop calling him 'Visor Boy'!"

"Kid, you're too obvious," said Lumen. "Your face looks like a tomato, and you wouldn't stop with the finger combing the whole time the two of you were talking."

"Sh-shut up!" Iris stammered. She scolded herself for not realizing her fingers had been in her hair.

"Denial," teased Lumen. "It's okay, kid. Almost everyone gets a crush at one point in their lives. As long as this stays a crush, I see no harm in it."

"Go to bed, Lumen," Iris grumbled as she shoved several E-crystals into her mouth.

"I will, I will," said Lumen. She floated over to the pillow Iris had set out for and landed on. "Sweet dreams, Riss. I wonder if they'll be dreams of Visor Boy."

"LUMEN!"

That night, Iris actually did dream. She was on that increasingly familiar black plane, and like her first night in the Resistance, she saw a figure way out in the distance.

"Who are you?" Iris called out. To her mild surprise, she got an answer this time.

"_I…"_

"Yes? You are…?" inquired Iris.

"_I…cannot say."_

"You can't say? Wh-why?"

"_It is not the time for you to know who I am,"_ the voice explained. _"However, you may think of me as your conscience."_

"My…conscience?" Iris repeated.

"_Yes. And I need you to listen to me,"_ said the voice. _"If Zero comes to the base tomorrow, and he most likely will, you must do everything in your power to avoid him."_

"What? Why?"

"_It is for your own benefit that you do not get involved with him,"_ explained the voice. _"That Reploid's past is far from spotless."_

"Wh-what do you mean?" asked Iris. The voice did not answer her, and within moments, her vision began to swim. "W-wait! Please, tell me more! WAIT!"

The next thing Iris knew, she was back in her room in the Resistance base. For a moment, she lied there and tried to figure out what just happened. Why would this voice, supposedly her conscience, speak in her dreams, and why would it tell her to avoid Zero? She wasn't able to get a read on what the voice sounded like. Was it even a real message?

She checked her internal clock and found that it was seven in the morning. Lumen was already gone, and Iris assumed that that Ciel, Milan, and the other Resistance soldiers had left on their mission. That meant that she would have to fulfill her promise to Milan and find Alouette, so although she was still puzzled by her dream, it would have to remain an unsolved mystery for now.

She found Alouette in her own room, playing with dolls and looking miserable. Iris felt her core sink at the sight. Alouette was taking Ciel's absence very hard.

"Alouette?" Iris called gently. Alouette's big blue eyes slowly met Iris's.

"Iris?" She sounded even worse than she looked.

Iris swallowed. She wasn't sure if she could do this, but she had to at least try. "Would you mind if I played with you today?"

"I know what you're trying to do," said Alouette. "You want to make me feel better. But it won't work. It won't bring Sis back."

Iris had no words to say to that.

"You haven't been around long enough to know," Alouette continued. "Every time a bunch of Reploids go out on a mission, someone doesn't come back. I never see them again. And now Sis went with them. I'm scared. I'm scared Sis won't come back!"

"A-Alouette…"

"Alright, what's the problem now?" a familiar voice asked.

"Ah, Lumen!" exclaimed Iris.

"Geez, I'm gone for thirty minutes, and you're already in over your head," Lumen said. "You're the worst babysitter ever."

"Hey!"

"Listen, Alouette," Lumen said as she flew up to the small Reploid. "I know you're bummed because Ciel left, but moping around like this isn't gonna help anyone. What will Ciel think when she comes back and sees you looking so glum?"

"But…she might not come back," Alouette whimpered.

"Don't be that way," said Lumen. "Ciel brought half an army with her. Those guys will protect her with their lives. If they don't, they should be ashamed to call themselves soldiers."

"But―"

"Geez, you're really set in your pessimism, aren't you?" remarked Lumen. "Well, I may not be able to change your mind, but I can help change your mood."

Lumen began to sing. Unlike her previous song, though, this song was much calmer and more serene. Iris felt herself floating away with the notes, as if they were a river carrying her along. When the song ended, Lumen smiled and asked, "Feel better?"

"A little," Alouette admitted. "That was very pretty, Lumen."

"Thank you," said Lumen.

"Th-that was amazing!" Iris exclaimed. "It was almost like…like…"

"Magic?" Lumen offered. "Music can have that sort of power over people and Reploids. It can make us feel happy, sad, relaxed, energized, or passionate. It can't always completely change your mood, but it can help nudge it along."

"I see," said Iris. "Well, Alouette, do you think you feel well enough to play, now?"

"I guess," Alouette said softly.

Iris and Lumen spent the rest of the morning playing with Alouette. While the small Reploid was still worried about Ciel, she was no longer completely consumed by it. They played with dolls and plushies, and Lumen even volunteered to play dress-up with some of the doll clothing. They only stopped when Aigel suddenly slammed the door open.

"Riss! I've been looking everywhere for you!" she shouted.

"Ack, Aigel! Am I late for work?" cried Iris.

"No, but something huge is going on!" Aigel exclaimed. "It's the Doc! She's back! And she brought a strange Reploid with her!"

"Really?!" asked Iris.

"Sis came back?!" Alouette piped up.

"Get your tails on over to the Transerver right now and see for yourselves!" said Aigel.

Iris didn't waste another second. She took Alouette by the hand and raced towards the base's Transerver, with Lumen following close behind. A large crowd had already gathered by the teleportation device, and Iris was forced to stand on the tips of her toes to see over the taller Resistance members. From her spot in the very back, she could make out Ciel along with an unfamiliar armored red Reploid. However, something was amiss. There was no sign of Passy or any of the soldiers that had accompanied Ciel on the mission. Iris felt a strange sensation in her gut, like her insides were being twisted into knots.

"I can't see!" Alouette cried, bringing Iris out of her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry, Alouette. Let me help you," said Iris. She hoisted Alouette up and allowed the smaller Reploid to ride on her shoulders.

"It's Sis! She's okay!" Alouette exclaimed.

Lumen let out a low whistle. "Look at that hottie next to her. I'm gonna have to get myself acquainted with him."

"Be quiet, Lumen," hissed Iris.

"Everyone, please calm down!" exclaimed Ciel. "I will answer all of your questions momentarily!" Once the crowd quieted, she continued. "Thank you. Now then, I have some good news, and I have some bad news. The good news is that the mission was a success. Everyone, meet Zero."

The crowd immediately erupted into chaos. Most of them couldn't believe that they were seeing a legend in the flesh. "He can't be real!" some cried. "He could be an impostor!" others echoed. The red Reploid took all the accusations in stride. Despite all the verbal dirt being thrown at him, he didn't so much as blink.

"So that's Zero," said Lumen. "Hmm, I like what I see. Even if he's not the real Zero, I can tell he's a man of high caliber."

"How?" asked Iris.

"Just look at the way he holds himself," said Lumen. "That is the stance of a highly trained warrior. None of the soldiers here could ever hope to match that."

Iris had to agree that Zero had an air about him that was far different from the other Reploids she had met. She found her gaze inexplicably drawn to him. While she couldn't make out all of his details, she could see his powerfully built body, his crimson and gold armor, and his remarkably long blond hair. Why, his hair must have been longer than her own! She nearly laughed, but promptly shut up when his eyes met hers.

For a moment, the world around her disappeared. She no longer heard the roar of the crowd, no longer felt Alouette's weight on her shoulders, and no longer saw anything but that red Reploid and his deep blue eyes. Iris vaguely recalled that the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean was almost seven miles deep. She suspected Zero's eyes were deeper still.

"_Do not get involved with him."_

The voice from her dream was nearly audible in her head. She blinked, and the spell was broken. Feeling foolish, she stopped standing on tip toe and shrank into the crowd, though with Alouette still on her shoulders she couldn't completely disappear.

Ciel finally calmed the crowd down and delivered her second piece of news. "Zero has agreed to help us, and that is something we should all be grateful for. Unfortunately, it came at a high price. As you all must have noticed, Passy and all the soldiers who accompanied me on this mission have not returned." Ciel took a deep breath before continuing. "I am sorry to say…that they all gave their lives to ensure this mission's success."

Iris's mind went blank. While the crowd erupted with noise yet again, she could not hear their cries. There was only one thought running through her head.

_Milan is dead._

Milan, the Reploid who had awakened her and had been so kind to her. He was her first friend, and according to Lumen, her first crush. She had spoken to him only the night before! Milan had been so full of life then, and yet without any sort of warning he was gone forever. Iris felt horribly numb, as if she too, were dead. One by one, her senses failed, until her world plunged into darkness.

* * *

**Well, this got kind of intense, don't you think? Iris's crush on Milan was never intended to be anything serious. It's more like one of those puppy crushes kids get, and since Iris is only about one month old here, I thought it could work. I tried to make the death of a character that is alive in MMZ for less than two minutes seem a little more dramatic and sad, but I honestly do not know if I succeeded. I'm sure I did better than in the first version of this story, though.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Iris found herself lying on a soft surface with her eyes closed. She was back in bed. Her head felt fuzzy, and she hoped that she had woken up from a horrible dream. As she stirred, she heard a voice whisper, "Hey, she's waking up!"

She blearily opened her eyes. Once her vision focused, she quickly recognized the ceiling of the infirmary. The worried faces of Rocinolle, Aigel, Alouette, and Lumen hovered above her.

"Riss! You're alright!" cried Aigel.

"Wha… What happened to me?" asked Iris.

A short silence ensued as the women exchanged apprehensive glances. Finally, Lumen spoke up. "You…didn't take Ciel's news very well. Right after she said it, you passed out. With Alouette still on top of you, no less."

"Aaah! Alouette, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Iris cried.

"I'm fine. You fell down face-first, so I didn't get hurt at all," said Alouette. "I was more worried about you, because you wouldn't wake up."

"You should've seen it, Riss!" exclaimed Lumen. "After you fell, Zero jumped over the whole crowd to check on you and Alouette! Everyone was so shocked that they all stopped talking and stared. Once Zero determined Alouette was okay, he picked you up and asked where the infirmary was. I was still a little stunned, but I showed him the way. After that, Rocinolle took you and determined there was nothing major wrong, so she put you in one of the beds to rest and sent Zero away. And well, here we are."

Rocinolle nodded affirmatively. "Diagnostics show that your systems underwent an emergency shutdown due to an overload in your neural circuits. In layman's terms, the shock was too much for you to handle."

"Shock? You mean…" Iris felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She hadn't been dreaming after all. Her throat constricted painfully, and her eyes began to burn. "Th-then they're…they're really gone," she croaked.

"I'm afraid so," Rocinolle said grimly.

"M-Milan…and P-Passy, too. Wh-why did they have to die?!" Iris cried.

"Iris. Every one of those soldiers knew going into that mission that they may not come back alive," said Rocinolle. "They were more than willing to give up their lives in order to save the rest of us. Passy, too. She willingly used her power to revive Zero, which ended up saving Dr. Ciel's life. And Milan fought to protect Ciel up to the very end. It was the noblest thing they could have done."

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Iris screamed. "It won't b-bring anyone back! Th-they're all g-gone… Gone… GONE!"

Iris's words dissolved into uncontrollable sobs. She buried her face into her hands, and her whole body shook with the force of her crying. She vaguely felt Aigel and Rocinolle rub her back soothingly, but they did nothing to relieve the crushing weight that seemed to have settled over her shoulders.

"Riss," Aigel murmured. "We know this is really tough for you, mate. Just remember we're here for you whenever you need us."

Iris managed a shaky nod in between her sobs.

"And don't worry about your shift," added Rocinolle. "I refuse to allow a medic to work if he or she is no shape to do so. Take as much time off as you need."

Another shaky nod.

"Iris, I want to do anything I can to help you feel better," said Alouette. "You tried to cheer me up today, so I want to help you, too. If you want, you can have Kitty for a while. Kitty always makes me feel better when I'm sad."

If Iris hadn't already been overwhelmed by grief, Alouette's offer would have stunned her. "Kitty" was what Alouette called her cat plush, and it was her favorite toy. The plush had been a gift from Ciel and Alouette was seldom seen without it. In her current state, however, all Iris could do was hiccup and accept the toy, which she immediately clutched like a lifeline.

"Just promise you'll give her back!" Alouette warned. Iris sniffled and nodded in response.

"Poor kid," muttered Lumen. "Looks like the roles have been reversed."

"Iris's mind has not yet fully matured," explained Rocinolle. "There is only so much that can be preprogrammed into a Reploid. Some things in life have to be learned through experience. It is one thing to hear about others dying. It is another thing altogether to experience the loss of someone close to you."

"That's very true," said Aigel. "Most of us have seen death all our lives, so we've gotten kinda used to it. Riss, though… She's as pure as mountain snow. I can't imagine how she feels right now."

Iris, whose sobs had quieted somewhat, finally managed a few words. "M-may I…"

"What is it, Iris?" asked Rocinolle.

"May I go t-to my room?"

Aigel scratched her head thoughtfully. "Well, I s'pose ya could, considering that there's nothing else physically wrong with you. But are you sure you feel well enough to do that?"

Iris nodded. "I just w-want to be alone for a wh-while."

"Riss―"

"That m-means you too, Lumen. P-please."

"Alright then," Rocinolle said after a short pause. "You are free to go. This may be an infirmary, but I am afraid this is one wound I cannot mend."

"Th-thank you," mumbled Iris. She slid off the bed and trudged out of the infirmary, still clutching Alouette's doll to her chest. The heavy weight over her shoulders only seemed to increase, threatening to push her to the ground. Her movements were guided by muscle memory, as her mind was occupied with something more important.

_Milan._

She held the plushie tighter as a fresh round of sobs threatened to burst from her chest. Part of her still didn't want to believe he was really gone. Yet she had seen with her own eyes that he did not return, and Ciel would never lie about something so grave.

"Hey."

There was also the matter of Passy. Iris hadn't been especially close with the Cyber Elf, but she had been one of the few people in the Resistance base that she regularly interacted with. Ciel's lab was going to be so quiet without Passy around. Iris already missed the elf's constant scolding of Ciel.

"Hey!"

She didn't know what she was going to do. Rocinolle had said she could have as much time off as she needed, but she knew she couldn't just go back to her routine like nothing had happened. She couldn't just forget that Milan, Passy, and so many others had lost their lives. Already, it seemed like she had forgotten how to smile.

"HEY!"

Iris screamed when someone grabbed her shoulder. She tried to bolt out of instinct, but her assailant was quicker and snatched her wrist before she could move more than a foot.

"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you," the person said. The voice was male and didn't seem threatening, so Iris reluctantly turned around to see its owner. For some reason, she was not all that surprised to see it was Zero.

"What do you want?" she asked tersely.

"When someone greets you, you're supposed to acknowledge them," Zero replied.

"What kind of greeting was that?! You scared the life out of me!"

"Only because you were ignoring me."

"What are you―" Iris paused, remembered that his voice had been buzzing in her ears while she was busy brooding, and scoffed. "Never mind. Now, will you let me go? I have somewhere that I need to be."

Zero seemed to consider her words before releasing her. In doing so, his fingers brushed hers for an instant. During the brief contact, a surge of electricity raced up Iris's arm, causing her to snatch her hand away and clutch it against her chest. Zero gave her a questioning look, to which replied, "Static," even though she knew that was a lie. If she had scraped her feet against a carpet for an hour she could not have experienced a shock like that. She wondered what in the world could have caused such a thing.

"I just wanted to see if you were all right," said Zero.

"I am. Now, leave me alone," Iris growled as she turned to leave. "I'm sure you have more important things to do, Mr. Legendary Hero."

She was surprised at how easily the biting sarcasm came to her lips. This was not like her at all, but her urge to be alone overpowered her usual polite mannerisms.

"You don't look all right," said Zero.

Iris gnashed her teeth. "Perhaps you didn't hear me correctly. Alright then, I'll repeat myself nice and slow just for you. Leave. Me. Alone."

"I heard you just fine. Doesn't mean I have to listen."

Her eye twitched and her fingers flexed in irritation. Even Lumen had never tried her patience like this. With a great amount of effort, she reeled in the urge to yell at Zero, but her voice still quavered dangerously. "You're awfully persistent. Are you sure you have nothing better to do besides pester me?"

"Actually, yes," said Zero. "I never asked for your name."

"Don't be stupid," Iris growled as she whirled around to face him. "I'm sure you heard my name from Rocinolle, Lumen, or Alouette while I was unconscious."

"I want to hear it from you."

"If I tell you, will you leave me alone?"

"You're not in a position to make a bargain."

"Alright, fine!" Iris snapped. "If you want to hear it that badly, my name is Iris. There. Happy?"

Zero looked distant. "Iris? I feel like I've heard that name before."

"Now you're really being stupid," Iris said, shaking her head. "I've only been activated for about a month, now. Whoever you're thinking of is clearly someone different."

Zero appeared to ponder the issue for a moment longer before speaking. "My name is Zero. Or at least, that's what Ciel told me."

Iris scoffed. "Yeah, I already knew that― Wait a minute, what? You mean you're not sure what your name is?!"

"I can't remember anything prior to waking up in that lab."

"Ugh, so you're an amnesiac," Iris groaned while massaging her temples. "That's just perfect. At least that explains why you can't take a hint."

"Is it wrong to be concerned when someone won't respond when addressed?"

"Yes, if they specifically request to be left alone! I mean, don't you even know how to… Hold on. Zero, where did you get that?"

"Get what?".

"That Buster Shot."

"Why do you ask?"

"Because Cerveau makes all of the Resistance's weapons himself, and I know he hasn't had the time today to make you one."

Zero frowned. "I didn't steal it, if that's what you're thinking. I found it next to a Reploid's corpse right after I woke up."

Iris's core froze. Part of her was terrified to ask the next question on her mind, but she just had to know the answer. "What… What did they look like?"

"I didn't take too much notice because Ciel and I were under attack," Zero admitted. "But he was definitely a Resistance soldier, based on his clothing. And he was wearing a visor, if I recall correctly."

Iris felt as if the world crashed all around her. At first, all she could feel was the same numb shock from when she first heard of Milan's death. Then, something hot and powerful bubbled up inside her. The feeling rapidly filled her whole body, and she began to tremble uncontrollably.

"You…" she hissed.

"Iris?"

Something inside her snapped. The next thing she knew, she heard a loud smack and her right hand smarted from impacting something hard. The red handprint on Zero's stunned face explained what had happened.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" she cried. "If it weren't for you and your stupid stasis, Milan and Passy would still be alive! And worse yet, you had the _gall _to loot Milan's corpse! You disgust me! I never want to see your face again!"

She bolted towards her room, trying and failing to hold back tears. Zero must have been too stunned to react, because he did not follow her. Once she reached her room, she locked the door behind her and collapsed onto her bed, sobbing loudly. She cried and cried until she became too tired to cry anymore. At that point, she was reduced to occasional sniffling and trembling. She slowly brought Alouette's doll up to her face and stared at it. The plushie stared back, its huge smile never ceasing.

"You're lucky, Kitty," Iris mumbled, her mind too much of a mess to care that she was addressing an inanimate object. "You never feel hardship or pain, and no matter what happens, you never stop smiling."

Predictably, the doll remained silent.

"That voice was right. Zero is nothing but trouble," moaned Iris. "Oh wait, you wouldn't know about the dream voice, would you, Kitty? It says it's my conscience, but it only spoke with me once, when I was asleep. It told me to avoid Zero. Now I know why."

"What happened?" Iris asked in a higher pitched voice in order to fill in Kitty's speech.

"He can't take no for an answer and he has no respect for the dead."

"He sounds like a real meanie!"

"He is. I just hope I never have to deal with him again." Iris paused. "Thanks for hearing me out, Kitty. It's nice to be able to talk to someone who says exactly what you want to hear."

"No problem!" Iris chirped in her Kitty voice. "I'm always here for you, Iris!"

She tucked the plush close to her body and closed her eyes, soon falling into the darkness of slumber. She only awoke the next morning, when she heard a tapping at her door.

"Riss? C'mon kid, open up!"

Iris moaned and covered her head with her pillow.

"Dang it, Riss, I knew you would do this! Open this door or I swear I'm gonna get someone to break it down!"

"Go away, Lumen," Iris grumbled.

"You can't lock yourself in your room forever!" yelled Lumen. "You've got to eat at some point!"

"I'm fine," Iris insisted. "Now, go away."

Lumen's frustrated growl was audible even through the steel door. "All right, you leave me no choice."

Iris heard nothing after that, so she assumed Lumen was following through on her threat to break the door down. However, Iris knew it would be useless. The door was sturdy and resistant to both physical and energy-based impacts. No one in the Resistance would be able to break it down without a lot of time and patience. She settled more comfortably in her bed, taking pleasure in the fact that she had Lumen beat.

Minutes later, she heard a loud noise from her door. She paid it no mind, but it soon turned into a grating sound that went on continuously. When it finally ceased, it was immediately followed by a thud that shook the ground. She sat up in bed and looked towards her door to see what had happened.

Her jaw dropped in disbelief. A large doorway-shaped hole had been cut through where her door used to be. The door itself was now a giant metal doormat inside her room. Zero stood in the new doorway with a bored expression, holding a green energy saber in his right hand. Lumen zoomed in through the opening and grinned smugly at Iris.

"Told you I would get someone to break it down," she said.

Iris opened and closed her mouth several times before she found her voice. "You… You made Zero wreck my door?! You both are SO gonna pay for this!"

Zero lazily turned his saber off and sheathed it in one of the holsters on his thighs. "You shouldn't hole yourself up to the point of neglecting your health."

"Shut up!" Iris snapped. "And I specifically said I never wanted to see your face again!"

"Considering I live here now, that's something that's easier said than done," Zero remarked.

"GAH!" roared Iris. "You are such a pain in the butt! Fine, I'll get out of here. But don't you dare think you're gonna get away with this!"

She stormed out the room, making sure she stomped on Zero's foot on her way out. It probably hurt her more than him, but it made her feel a bit better.

"Where are you going?" Zero asked.

"Does it matter?" Iris spat.

"Riss, you gotta calm down!" exclaimed Lumen. "I get that you're mad about the whole door thing, but I was only worried about you!"

"You shut up!" yelled Iris. "All I wanted was some time to myself, and you couldn't even let me have that!"

"But Riss―"

"I don't want to hear it! I made a specific request, and neither of you listened to me. That enrages me more than anything else. Now, if you'll excuse me, Kitty and I are going to ask Cerveau to fix my door."

"Wait."

"What now, Zero?" grated Iris.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I just wanted to say…I'm sorry about Milan. If I had awakened sooner―"

She swatted his hand away. "I don't need your pity. You have no idea what this feels like."

"That's right! Stay away, you meanie!" Iris added in her Kitty voice.

"Thanks Kitty," she said to the doll. "Now, let's go, shall we?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh god, she's completely lost it," Lumen muttered.

Iris ignored the Cyber Elf and scurried away, clutching Kitty to her chest. The doll felt like her only friend now, never mind that she wasn't a real person. At least Kitty listened to her and never said a bad word in return. Iris now understood why Alouette was so attached to the doll. Surely Alouette wouldn't mind if she kept Kitty for a few more days. Right now, Iris needed the plush more than anything. It was the one solid anchor she had in a world of uncertainty.

* * *

**Aaaand I think I'll cut it off there. All I can say is wow, I've been on a roll. Ever since I rebooted the story I've been hit with the writing fever. Hit a few roadblocks but still got swarmed with new ideas. As you can see from this chapter, Iris has…kind of lost it. And this wouldn't be the first time, either, considering how much she cracked in X4 after Colonel's death. I think this works a lot better than my older ideas when it comes to setting up friction between her and Zero. It ended up pretty angsty, but hopefully the bits of comic relief lightened things up a tad.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"He did WHAT?!"

"That's right. Thanks to a certain someone not respecting my personal space, I no longer have a door."

Cerveau pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of all the darned― You'd think a legendary hero would treat his weapons a bit better."

Iris's mouth fell open. "Excuse me?! I have a huge hole where my door used to be, and it's the _sword_ you're worried about?!"

"Zero's Z-Saber is a remarkable piece of technology," said Cerveau. "It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. To see such a thing of beauty used as a crude cutting tool is nothing less than weapon abuse!"

"But…it's a sword…" Iris stammered. "Isn't it _supposed_ to cut stuff?"

"Yes, but not walls or doors! Something like that could cause permanent damage to the saber! I'm going to have to have a talk with Zero later. In the meantime, I'll take care of your door."

"Thanks, Cerveau. That's all I wanted you to do."

"By the way, how long are you planning on keeping that doll?"

Iris fidgeted uneasily. "Err…"

"I suggest you give it back by the end of day, or else Alouette is not going to be happy."

"Um, sure, Cerveau. I'll see you later."

Iris exited Cerveau's lab with a sigh. That Reploid always got overly excited over any mechanical or technological thing. If Zero was foolish enough to give Cerveau his Z-Saber, he'd probably never see it again in one piece.

"I'll never understand him," Iris said softly. "At least my door's being taken care of. What should we do now, Kitty?"

"I want to learn more about you, Iris!" Kitty replied.

"To be honest, I don't know a lot about myself. I don't even know why I was built in the first place."

"Then why don't we find out together? We can start by exploring the place you came from."

"Hmm… I suppose," mumbled Iris. "But I've never used the Transerver by myself before, and no one's supposed to leave the base without permission."

"Don't worry! We won't be gone long!" chirped Kitty. "We just have to look around for a little while and get back before anyone notices we left!"

"Well… Okay. I just hope we don't get into too much trouble."

The Transerver was fortunately vacant. Iris climbed on top of the device, and it reacted immediately. A keyboard with a small display popped up. Iris tapped a few keys, which caused several different names to appear on the display.

"These must be places saved in the Transerver's memory," she reasoned. A few more keystrokes caused the names "Underground Laboratory" and "Ancient Laboratory" to scroll by. One of those two had to be the lab she awoke in. She switched between the two names, wondering which she should try first.

Her decision was made for her when she heard footsteps nearby. In a panic, she mashed the Enter key and was swallowed by the Transerver's light. A moment later, she lost her balance due to dizziness and fell with a resounding splash.

"Ooog, I forgot that teleporting makes me feel woozy," she moaned. When her head cleared, she saw that she was sitting on a floor covered with sickeningly green water. Shouting in disgust, she leapt to her feet and furiously swept the liquid off her dress. Kitty had luckily avoided a soaking, but the water was still deep enough to cover Iris's ankles.

"Oh, this is so gross," she moaned, grimacing as she lifted her foot and observed the slime that oozed off it. "Where am I, anyway?"

"I don't know," said Kitty. "Why don't we take a look around?"

"But…what if it's dangerous?" asked Iris.

"If we see any bad guys, we can just go back."

"Well…okay."

There was only one door leading out of the Transerver room. Iris was mildly surprised to discover that it still worked in spite of how ancient it appeared. On the other side of the door was what appeared to be a computer room of some sort, but everything was incredibly dated. Fortunately, this room was free of slime, enabling her to clean her shoes. Once that was accomplished, she tested the computers, but they failed to respond.

"Hm, no good," Iris muttered. "I wonder if there's anything else around here."

"Let's keep looking!" chirped Kitty.

There was a large opening in one side of the room. Debris littered either side of it, and it looked like it had been forcibly moved. Iris disdainfully noticed that beyond this opening, the floor sunk back down into the murky water. Her curiosity overpowered her revulsion, however, leading her to venture into the slimy unknown. To her dismay, however, the short hallway led to a dead end.

"Well, that was pointless," she said. "I can't believe I walked through this muck for nothing! I guess it can't be helped. We'd better head back, Kitty." She turned to leave, but before she could make a step, something was pulled over her body, and several spindly limbs snatched her into the air. It all happened so quickly that she didn't have time to scream.

"Well, well, well… Isn't this a surprise," a cold voice crooned. Iris froze in terror as she found herself face to face with an enormous spider Reploid. She shivered as the spider caressed her cheek with a foreleg. "It seems a little mouse has wandered into my trap."

Iris shrieked and swatted the leg away, but in the process realized that she was covered in something fine, white, and sticky. She thrashed about in a panic, but the substance merely stretched and entrapped her further.

"It's useless," the spider chuckled. "The more you try to fight, the more my web fights back. But do keep struggling. I do so enjoy feisty prey."

Iris froze. "P…prey?"

The spider's green eyes glowed menacingly. "Why yes. I was designed to absorb the energy of other Reploids. I used to make my living draining Mavericks dry. Oh, those were the days! But then Neo Arcadia came up with more 'efficient' means of purging Mavericks, declared me outdated, and sent me to this godforsaken hellhole to rust!"

She took a very deep breath. It seemed as if she had wanted to say this for ages. "But…spiders are patient. We will wait for fresh prey until we breathe our last. I have lived here for nearly four years, biding my time and draining power from the dying computers to sate my appetite, but yesterday, something living finally came through here. However, those dreadful Pantheons and Golems made a mess of everything and killed all the Reploids save one, and their meddling made it impossible for me to set my trap. That one would have been worthy prey; he was brimming with life."

The spider bared her fangs, causing Iris to shrink further in fear. "I had hoped he would return so I could have my fill, but instead I caught a helpless little girl. No matter. I've waited four years for a live meal, and I'm going to enjoy every last drop of it."

She lunged forward and sank her fangs into Iris's neck. The scream that had been building in Iris's throat finally set itself free and echoed all around the abandoned building. However, it was only a reflex, as deep down she knew no one except her captor could hear her.

How could she have been so stupid? She knew leaving the base was dangerous, and she did it anyway. Now she was going to die for her foolishness. Already, her vision was blurring.

There was a second great scream that did not come from her voice synthesizer, and suddenly she was falling. Was this what death was like? The falling stopped. Something, no, someone was holding her. Was it, perhaps, the Reploid equivalent of an angel or death god? She could not see well enough to tell, but it was wearing an awful lot of red. There was a shining green light nearby as well. Iris tried to get a better look, wondering what the light was, but her eyelids were too heavy. Deciding it was pointless to fight the inevitable, she let go and plummeted into a world of darkness.

"Milan… I'll see you again soon."

_WARNING. ENERGY LEVELS CRITICAL. SEVERE OIL LOSS DETECTED. ENTERING POWER-SAVING MODE._

Iris floated within a black abyss. She found herself incapable of movement or speech, and her thoughts seemed to come at the speed of molasses. Perhaps this was what the humans called "limbo". The red death god seemed to have left, but Iris had no doubts that it would be back at some point to escort her to the afterlife.

Dying wasn't so bad. The pain was gone, and this floating sensation was oddly relaxing. So what if she couldn't move or talk? She had all the time in the world, and there was no one to speak to. Every so often, though, she heard voices. They sounded familiar, but her ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton.

"Ze… Wha… pened?"

"…ly hurt…"

"Hurry…"

The voices seemed to be distressed. Perhaps they were the cries of the dying before they passed on. After all, Iris had been in the same situation before. Now, however, she felt at peace. She had accepted her fate.

A long time passed, during which the voices continued to fade in and out. There was no sign of the death god, but at one point she felt an invisible hand squeeze hers. It was a nice hand, too; it made a pleasant, tingly sensation bubble up inside her chest. The hand vanished as suddenly as it came, and with it went the sensation. Iris was surprised at how disappointed she felt, but resigned herself to the fact that there was nothing she could do.

After that, the world around her went silent. With nothing to do and no voices to listen to, Iris was quickly lulled by the floating sensation. Surely the death god wouldn't mind if she took a nap before it returned. It could wake her up if it needed to. Iris drifted to sleep, quietly wondering what sort of afterlife awaited her when she awoke.

_SYSTEMS STABILIZED. EXITING POWER-SAVING MODE. REBOOTING… _

The first thing Iris noticed was that her body felt stiff and heavy. Her eyelids protested as she opened them, and she was nearly blinded by the lights overhead, forcing her to close them with a groan. For the second time in as many days, she had awoken in an infirmary bed. She groggily wondered what had happened to her this time.

Her eyes shot open as her memory unit came online. With some difficulty, she reached up and touched the place where the spider Reploid had bitten her. Her fingers met with fabric. Only now did she notice the slight constriction around her neck. Clearly she had been repaired and bandaged, but how in the world had she survived that encounter?

She heard footsteps nearby, and Rocinolle appeared over her bed. "Good to see you awake, Iris."

Iris's core froze. She had left the base without permission, and there was no doubt that everyone knew about it by now. She was really in for it. "R-Rocinolle!" she squeaked. "Uh, good morning."

"It's afternoon," Rocinolle corrected. "You've been asleep for two days. May I ask, dear, what you were thinking when you decided to leave the base on your own, unarmed, and without permission?"

Iris gulped at her boss's thinly veiled anger. "I…wasn't really thinking at all."

"Obviously," said Rocinolle. "Iris, I understand that you're grieving, but grief isn't an excuse to do whatever you want."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you understand that your actions have consequences, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Nice to hear you being agreeable for once."

Iris bristled at the new voice. "What are you doing here, Zero?"

"I'm here because I want to be," he responded.

"Do you always have to be such a pain in the ass?"

"Iris, language!" scolded Rocinolle. "Zero saved your life, so show some gratitude!"

Iris's thoughts screeched to a halt. So _he_ was the red figure she saw before she fell unconscious. The revelation made her more incensed.

"You were following me?!" she shrieked at Zero.

"You've shown yourself to be prone to hasty and stupid decisions."

"Excuse me?! At least I wasn't stupid enough to end up as an amnesiac!"

"Enough!" shouted Rocinolle. "I will not tolerate this foolish bickering! Both of you apologize, right now!"

Naturally, this meant Zero and Iris turned their backs on each other.

"I only spoke the truth," muttered Zero.

"He doesn't deserve it," grumbled Iris.

Rocinolle pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "I feel like I'm talking to a pair of children."

Seeing that she wasn't getting anywhere with either of the two stubborn Reploids, Rocinolle shooed Zero out of the infirmary and prescribed Iris two more days of bedrest. The wound in Iris's neck was deep, and her auto-repair systems needed as much power as possible to close it. Iris wholeheartedly agreed to the proposal, as arguing with Zero had left her drained. She settled back into bed and closed her eyes. The next thing she knew, she heard Lumen's voice yelling at her to wake up.

"Go away, Lumen," Iris moaned as she buried her face in her pillow.

"Come on, Riss!" said Lumen. "All you've done for the past forty-eight hours is sleep! In fact, there was a good chance that you would never wake up!"

"I'm fine, Lumen. I'm just tired."

"You're lucky that you're just tired. When Zero brought you in with that huge gash in your neck, I thought for sure you were a goner."

"Don't you _dare_ mention that asshole in front of me."

Lumen raised an eyebrow. "When did you start using language like that?"

"When I realized that the word described Zero perfectly."

"You're not still mad about the door are you?" Lumen asked, only for Iris to immediately swat her to the ground.

"Thank you for reminding me about that," the Reploid stated. "As a matter of fact, I am."

Lumen quickly recovered and fluttered back into the air. "Geez, you can hold a grudge. Look, I'm sorry about the door, but I was worried about you! And considering what you did, I had every right to be!"

"Shut up. I know I screwed up."

"Riss, you're missing the point! If Zero hadn't trailed you, you wouldn't be here right now!"

"You think I don't know that?!" Iris snapped. "The fact that I owe that jerk my life pisses me off the most! Now everyone's gonna expect me to grovel before him like he's some heavenly being. Newsflash: when he starts showing me a little respect, _maybe_ he'll earn mine."

Lumen was silent for a long time. Iris thought she had left, but when she took a peek the Cyber Elf was still there. At last, Lumen spoke. "You know, Zero worries about you. He's…just not very good at expressing it. When he brought you here I swear he was ready to kill anyone who got in his way."

"Well, he shouldn't worry," scoffed Iris. "I'm no one consequential."

"Maybe to him, you are." With those words, Lumen turned to leave. "I'll let you get some rest now, Riss. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"I wasn't planning to," grumbled Iris. When the Cyber Elf was out of sight, Iris turned on her side and sighed. She could not understand why Zero would concern himself over her. When it came down to it, she was a replaceable member of the Resistance. Not only that, but he barely knew who she was. Yet he went out of his way multiple times to poke his nose into her business, and twice his meddling had gotten her out of a bad situation. She might have been flattered if she weren't so angry.

"Stupid jerk," she mumbled. "I can't believe Milan and Passy gave their lives to revive someone like him. Oh, Milan…" A fresh wave of pain assaulted her core as memories overwhelmed her. "I'm such an idiot. Why didn't I tell you not to go? I miss you so much."

Iris clutched her pillow and cried softly until she could cry no more. Exhausted by her actions, she soon slipped into the blackness of unconsciousness once again.

"_You fool. I told you to not get involved with him. Now thanks to your recklessness, your lives have become inexorably tied. This is a union that can only end in pain. Iris, you will have to be strong to survive this. Stronger than I ever was."_

* * *

**I am so sorry about not updating for three months. I had exams and writers block and was catching up on my summer gaming and doing art so… I was pretty busy. I also ended up changing my mind on what to do with this chapter and redid a good portion of it. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, though.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The remainder of Iris's stay in the infirmary passed with a mix of check-ups, bandage changes, and bedrest. As a result, she had a very long time to think about what she had done. She was extremely lucky to be alive, but she was even luckier to not have been captured or tailed by Neo Arcadia. Her foolish decision could have put the entire Resistance in danger, and realizing that made Iris feel like she had swallowed something nasty and indigestible. That feeling intensified when Alouette paid her a visit. Iris couldn't bring herself to utter a greeting when she saw the betrayed look in the smaller Reploid's eyes.

"Why did you take Kitty out of the base?" Alouette asked.

Iris had no answer. Not only did she not have an excuse, she felt like something was stuck in her throat and keeping her voice synthesizer from working. She could only lower her head in shame.

"Why aren't you answering?" Alouette pressed.

Iris pointed to her throat and shook her head.

"Does your throat hurt?"

That was true, but it wasn't what Iris was trying to convey. She shook her head again and mouthed, "I can't talk."

"I can't hear you," said Alouette. "Is something wrong with your voice?"

Iris nodded and repeated her words.

Alouette's face lit up with understanding. "You can't talk? Why? Is it because your neck is hurt?"

Iris shrugged and shook her head.

"You don't know?" asked Alouette. "Then shouldn't you get Rocinolle to find out what's wrong?"

Iris raised an eyebrow at the smaller Reploid, hoping to convey that she couldn't call anyone while in her current condition. Fortunately, Alouette caught on.

"Oh right, you can't talk," she said. "Okay, then I'll get her for you!"

Alouette darted off and returned with Rocinolle within moments. Rocinolle performed a quick diagnostic and soon confirmed that Iris's muteness was psychological in nature.

"Sy-koh-loj-ick-al?" Alouette enunciated. "What does that mean?"

"It means that a powerful emotion is keeping Iris from speaking, even if she wants to," explained Rocinolle. "I find it odd that this has only manifested now, though. She had no problem arguing with Zero yesterday."

"Does that mean that this is my fault?" Alouette asked worriedly.

"No, at least not directly," said Rocinolle. "I believe Iris is finally realizing just how severe the consequences of her actions were. She took Kitty with her when she left the base, and by doing so, she betrayed your trust. I suspect the guilt she feels over her actions is suppressing her ability to speak."

"Well, will she get better?"

Rocinolle nodded. "She will, given enough time."

"I hope you're right," said Alouette. "Iris, I don't like that you put Kitty in danger, but I don't want you to be silent forever. You still have to say you're sorry to Kitty, so hurry up and get better!"

Iris wished she could say she was sorry a million times over, but it'd be nothing but empty words. Nothing she said could make up for what she had done. What sort of monster betrays a little girl? Had things turned out differently, Alouette could've been killed, and it would have been all her fault.

The next day, Iris was released from the infirmary. She still could not speak, but her neck was almost fully healed and no longer needed routine checkups. Her bandages had been removed, and the only evidence of her injury was a faint mark on her neck.

Naturally, Lumen was incensed when she discovered that Iris was mute and tried to tell her that there was no use crying over spilt milk, but Iris was having none of that. The Reploid retreated to her newly repaired room and curled up on her bed.

Iris barely moved for the rest of the day. She only got up to eat when her hunger became too intense to ignore, and the moment she was done eating she returned to her listlessness. Despite Lumen's almost constant yelling, Iris failed to respond to anything until she received an unwelcome visitor in the evening.

"How long did you plan on holing yourself up in here?"

Iris twitched irritably. She had forgotten to lock her door. However, given past experiences, she knew better than to think a locked door would repel Zero.

"Zero!" Lumen exclaimed. "Thank goodness you showed up! This bump on a log has been ignoring me all day!"

"Ignoring you? That's odd," said Zero. "Normally she won't shut up when she's pissed."

Iris shot him a nasty glare.

"So you really have lost your voice," he noted.

Iris narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, hoping to convey the question, "Why do you care?"

"Defiant even when mute, I see," Zero said in an amused tone, eliciting an enraged but silent snarl from Iris. "So, what made you clam up so badly?"

"She feels guilty over leaving the base on her own," explained Lumen. "I've been trying to tell her that what's done is done, but she seems determined to wallow in misery."

"Is that so?" A sly smirk spread across Zero's face. "Sounds like a challenge."

Before Iris could begin to comprehend what that meant, Zero had seized her arm and dragged her out of bed. She landed ungracefully on the floor and glared furiously at her tormentor.

"Get up," Zero ordered.

Iris's eyes narrowed, as if to say, "Make me."

Zero's response was to scoop her into his arms. When he saw her shocked expression, he smirked and said, "Don't test me."

Iris's face flushed with embarrassment. She squirmed and pointed towards the ground.

"Put you down? It's too late for that," said Zero. "Maybe next time you should listen to what you're told."

Lumen wolf-whistled before saying, "I'll let you two have your alone time!"

Iris blushed harder and wished she could hit the Cyber Elf, but settling with hitting Zero instead. The former Maverick Hunter wasn't fazed at all by the blow, and in fact he seemed to be greatly amused by her futile efforts. He carried her out of her room and kept a firm grip on her even as she struggled.

Iris wished she could voice the numerous nasty words she had in mind, but in her current state could only mouth silent curses. She hated that she was at Zero's mercy. Why did he take such pleasure in messing with her? Even more infuriating was that, deep down, a small part of her liked being carried by him. Not only was he a complete pain, he was making her systems glitch up!

"We're here," Zero said suddenly.

Iris gave a start. She had been so busy hurling mental insults at Zero that she hadn't noticed that they had gone outside. A bright light that she quickly identified as the sun hung low on the horizon, painting the sky shades of orange, red, and purple. She could feel the wind brush past her face and through her hair, and she was surprised at how nice it felt. Sand spread for as far as she could see, and the only signs of life were a few scattered buildings way off in the distance.

"You've never been outside before, have you?" Zero asked. Iris shook her head in response. Zero set her down gently so she could get a better look around. She turned around and saw more of the same landscape in every direction. She looked at Zero with a puzzled expression, wondering what his purpose was for bringing her here.

"This is what the world is like," he said. "There's nothing but desert for miles around, and according to Ciel, organic life is virtually extinct. The Resistance is forced to hide in a wasteland because of Neo Arcadia's B.S. policies. My objective is to change that."

Iris chewed her lip. She knew things were bad, but she had never could have guessed just how bad. How in the world did the Resistance survive so long in such a harsh place?

"Lumen probably told you something like this already, but shit happens," said Zero. "There's nothing you can do to change the past, and moping around won't do anyone any good. If you want to change things, you have to start with the here and now. Alouette forgives you, so get your ass together and stop blaming yourself!"

Iris's expression twisted with anger and pain. Did he think her emotions were operated by a switch or something? She couldn't just stop feeling guilty! She glared at Zero, wishing she could tell him that he wasn't the boss of her.

The former Maverick Hunter sighed. "You don't change, do you kitten?"

"Kitten?!" Iris mouthed, bristling with indignation.

"You're independent, defiant, and go wherever you feel like. Just like a cat," said Zero. "I didn't want to have to do this, but since you listen to actions better than words, I'll have to bring this out."

In the blink of an eye, Zero fastened something around Iris's neck. The female Reploid fingered the object and discovered that it was a navy blue choker with an admittedly cute pink heart-shaped tag attached to it. What confused her is why Zero would give her something like this.

"It's a tracking collar," he explained, causing Iris to jolt in alarm. "I had Cerveau make it since you always seem to get into trouble when you're unsupervised."

Incensed, Iris reached behind her neck and fiddled with the clasp. She felt around but the clasp's surface was smooth except for a small indentation. Her eyes widened in a panicked realization and she frantically tugged the clasp, but it held firm. Next she tried pulling on the choker itself. It was elastic enough to not tear at the force, but it didn't stretch far enough to pull over her head.

"You're so predictable," Zero sighed. "If removing the collar were that easy, I wouldn't have bothered with it in the first place."

Iris trembled with fury. Did Zero think she was an animal that needed to be kept on a leash? She didn't need constant surveillance! As she still couldn't speak, she let him know what she thought in a more physical way. Zero massaged the fresh red handprint on his face, but looked unsurprised.

"I knew you'd be pissed, but this is the best way I could think of to keep an eye on you while I'm away. When I saw that huge gash in your neck, I thought…" He trailed off and averted his eyes, seemingly unable to find the words to finish his sentence, but Iris saw that his fists were clenched and trembling slightly. "Look Iris, it's not that I don't trust you, but I never want to go through that again. I don't care if you hate me for as long as I live, but will you at least let me protect you?"

A small tendril of guilt snaked into Iris's gut. For the first time she had caught a glimpse of the real Zero hidden deep under that cold warrior exterior. He had been genuinely terrified when she was on the brink of death, and that same fear was driving him to his current actions. What she couldn't understand was why she would instill such a strong emotion in him when they were acquaintances at best and bitter rivals at worst.

Then there was his odd request. He sounded so earnest that it was a little embarrassing, yet she couldn't help but feel flattered. The fact that he was asking for her permission to protect her was almost kind of cute. Almost, she reminded herself.

Iris decided that it couldn't hurt to humor Zero. After all, as long as she was a good little Reploid and didn't go gallivanting on her own again, she wouldn't have to worry about him. So she nodded at him, and his eyes lit up so much that they resembled sapphires. For some reason, the sight made her core feel light and fluttery.

"Thank you," said Zero. "Iris, I swear on my honor that no harm shall come to you."

Goodness, this was embarrassing. Iris was very glad that no one was watching, because otherwise she would want to disappear on the spot. At the same time, though, she found something endearing about his vow. He sounded just like a knight swearing his fealty to a medieval princess! Iris covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her silent laughter, but her body's motions gave her away.

"What's so funny?" asked Zero.

Iris mouthed a two syllable word between her snickers.

"What do you mean, 'stupid'?!" he snapped. Iris only laughed harder, and Zero's cheeks turned a faint pink. "I-I was serious, you know!"

She made him blush! Score! At long last, she had succeeded in getting him back for all the crap he had put her through. Maybe it wasn't much, but it made her feel a lot better. More importantly, it made her realize that Zero wasn't as impregnable as she initially thought. She never would have guessed he had a softer side.

"Are you done laughing at me?" he asked, sounding exasperated. Iris nodded, although she couldn't suppress an ear-to-ear grin. Zero rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go back."

As the two of them headed back inside the base, Iris fingered the tag that now rested against her collarbone. She was still not happy about being tracked, but she wasn't mad at Zero anymore. He really wasn't such a bad guy. A little misguided, perhaps, but he had good intentions. For now, that was enough for her to call a temporary truce with him.

Lumen was in Iris's face almost the instant the Reploid arrived back in her room. "So, how'd it go? Whoa, that's a cute necklace! Did Zero give you that?"

Mortified, Iris swatted at Lumen but missed. The Cyber Elf grinned cheekily as a blushing Iris tried to hide the choker with her hands.

"He did, didn't he? Oh man, Riss, this is huge!" Lumen exclaimed. "I can't believe he's already on gift-giving level! You really know how to charm a guy!"

Iris was so angry and embarrassed that she grabbed Lumen with both hands, took her into her room, and stuffed her into a Cyber Elf storage container. Ciel had supplied her with a spare container in case Lumen misbehaved again, and this seemed like the perfect occasion to use it.

"Riss, come on!" Lumen yelled as she banged on the glass. "Why'd you stuff me in here? What'd I do?"

Iris crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the Cyber Elf. At the moment she was unable to explain the entire story behind her new accessory, and she definitely did not need Lumen spreading misinformation all through the Resistance base. She hoped that a time-out would deter any rumors for a while.

She sat down on her bed with a sigh and touched her neck, ignoring Lumen's protests. Being unable to speak was a bigger problem than she thought. Rocinolle had said that her voice would return given enough time, but Iris wasn't so sure. Not even her fury at Zero and Lumen had been enough to clear the blockage in her throat. Guilt still sat in her stomach like a lump of poison, and it slowly chewed away at her insides. How could she ever make up for endangering the entire Resistance?

She shut her eyes and shook her head. She didn't like to admit it, but Zero had been right about one thing: moping around was pointless. Milan would be ashamed of her if he saw her right now. A lump began to build in her throat at the thought of her deceased friend, but she forced herself to swallow it. Maybe she couldn't talk, but that wasn't an excuse to lie around doing nothing. She had four working limbs and a ton of free time. Maybe she could clean out the dumpier areas of the base like she had cleaned the kitchen.

Iris gasped. The kitchen! In all of the chaos that had unfolded since Zero's arrival, she hadn't been able to cook anything for Ciel. Filled with fresh determination, Iris grabbed Lumen's container and dashed towards the pantry.

"Geez, what's gotten into you?" Lumen asked while Iris busied herself gathering ingredients. She then headed into the kitchen and dumped her collection of Spam, canned produce, and bread onto the counter. With a little difficulty, she managed to get Lumen to explain how to cook the various things. The Cyber Elf initially refused to help until she was freed from her container, but when Iris accidentally caused a grease fire while frying Spam and made the mistake of pouring water on it, Lumen relented.

Thirty minutes later, Iris was a little charred but had managed to fix Spamwiches with a side of mixed vegetables as well as a dessert of canned peaches. It was far from gourmet but it would at least provide Ciel with some essential nutrition. Iris placed the food on a tray and carried it to Ciel's lab. As it turned out, Ciel had already eaten a modest dinner of beef jerky and coffee, but she did not turn down the extra food.

The scientist devoured her meal with amazing speed, although Iris wasn't sure whether it was because Ciel was hungry or if she just wanted to get back to work. Either way, Iris was glad to be able to help out again. If she worked hard enough, then maybe she could make up for her mistakes. She could almost feel the blockage in her throat moving.

As she carried the tray of empty dishes back to the kitchen, Iris resolved to work hard every day from then on. While she couldn't return to being a medic until she got her voice back, there was still plenty of manual labor to be done around the base, and Ciel needed a dedicated cook to keep her strength up. Iris nodded to herself, knowing that things were going to get very busy for her soon.

* * *

**Phew, I finally made myself write again. I'm back in college, by the way. I always seem to write better when I'm at school. It wasn't as long of a delay as last chapter, but I still feel kind of bad for making you guys wait so long. I hope this was worth it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The next morning, Iris began thinking of ways she could help around the base. She couldn't ask Lumen for advice since the Cyber Elf was undergoing her weekly research session, and she had already made Ciel breakfast. She felt just as lost as she did during her first days in the Resistance. Back then, she had been so desperate to have a purpose that she willingly took up cleaning duties until Ciel gave her a proper job.

She froze as an idea suddenly struck her. Most of the Resistance Reploids were too busy to put a lot of effort into cleaning. This was a perfect opportunity for her to help. She nodded to herself determinedly and hurried towards a broom closet in order to gather cleaning supplies.

The first thing she covered was her own room. She hadn't realized how much she had neglected it until she started cleaning. Dust had settled on her furniture, and the floor was covered in dirt that she had tracked in from the rest of the base. Iris removed her beret and tied her hair back with a piece of cloth to keep it out of the way as she dusted and swept. Her sheets were dirty as well, so she took them off to be laundered. However, she found the laundry room to be just as much of a mess as her own room. She had her work cut out for her.

With a washing machine taking care of her sheets, she began to work on cleaning the laundry room. She busied herself sweeping and mopping the floor and wiping the dust off the washing machines and dryers. By the time her sheets were clean and dry, the rest of the room was sparkling.

After making her bed, Iris made lunch for Ciel and moved on to sweeping the halls. The base was too big for one Reploid to clean by herself in one day, so she focused the lowest floors for the time being. Her route took her near Cerveau's lab, so she decided to take a short break and pay the engineer a visit. She knocked on the lab's door, but there was no response. Iris frowned, figuring that Cerveau was probably absorbed in his research. She turned to leave, but the sound of an explosion stopped her in her tracks. Iris released a silent sigh. She was certain Cerveau was going to kill himself one day.

She opened the door to the lab and waved wildly at the cloud of smoke that billowed into her face. She could hear Cerveau cursing at his failure, which was a good sign. One time, she and Aigel had to carry his unconscious body out of his lab after a failed experiment. Iris didn't think she could accomplish that on her own.

The smoke cleared after a few moments and revealed the frustrated Cerveau. "Gah, I can't believe this! Just a little more, and I swear I would've― Wait, Iris?"

Iris smiled awkwardly and waved at Cerveau. As always, the engineer's body was coated in soot from the explosion. Luckily, he didn't seem to be seriously injured.

"How long have you been standing there?" Cerveau asked while lifting his visor. "And what's with the bandana?"

Iris shook her head in response.

"What's the matter? Oh, right, Alouette said you lost your voice. In any case, I'm sorry about the mess. When I get involved in my research, things end up like this."

Iris shook her head again, trying to convey that she didn't mind.

"I see Zero made you wear the tracking collar."

Iris frowned and tugged at the accursed choker. She had nearly forgotten about it in the midst of her work, but now it felt as confining as an iron shackle. While she appreciated most of Cerveau's inventions, she was more than willing to make an exception for this one.

"Don't be like that. It looks good on you," said Cerveau. "And if you came to ask me to take it off, forget it. Zero took the key with him."

Iris crossed her arms and pouted. Zero always seemed to be two steps ahead of her. She hadn't even thought of asking Cerveau to remove the necklace until just now, and he had planned for the possibility days in advance! While she mentally cursed Zero, her eyes landed on the remains of Cerveau's experiment. Curious, she approached his work table. All that remained were some partially melted white metal fragments.

"Oh, did you want to see what I've been working on?" Cerveau asked. "The other day, Zero retrieved some data from the underground laboratory we found him in. Unfortunately, most of it was damaged, but we were able to retrieve some weapon data from what we managed to decode. I've been using that data to construct a new weapon for Zero."

Iris resisted the urge to sigh. Zero was a one-Reploid wrecking machine as he was. She shuddered to think of what he might do with another new toy. On the other hand, Zero was almost always fighting by himself, and having multiple weapon options would be nothing but beneficial in his battles with Neo Arcadian forces.

"The technology is similar to Zero's Z-Saber," Cerveau continued. "I managed to successfully replicate the energy blade, but the output was too strong for the weapon's frame to handle. I'll have to make some adjustments and try again."

Iris looked between the weapon's remains and Cerveau before gathering the fragments into her hands. When Cerveau asked what she was doing, she presented the fragments to him. After a moment, the engineer caught on.

"You want to help me?" he asked. When Iris nodded, he sighed and scratched his head. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in that. Just try not to get in the way."

For the next several hours, Iris played the role of Cerveau's assistant. She wasn't directly involved in the work, but she obediently retrieved tools and materials for him. While Cerveau tinkered with the weapon's inner workings, Iris quietly dusted and swept the lab. She was so focused that she nearly jumped when Cerveau announced that the weapon was complete.

Iris inspected the finished weapon on the work table. It was a small white hilt that closely resembled the Z-Saber, but she couldn't tell exactly what it was supposed to do. Cerveau picked up the hilt and warned Iris to stand back. The female Reploid eagerly obeyed and waited with bated breath as Cerveau pressed a button on the weapon's side.

Iris jolted as the hilt extended to around four feet in length, and a green triangular energy blade that stretched another foot or so appeared from its tip. Cerveau grinned wildly and pressed the button twice more. With each press, the weapon extended another foot in length. A final button press sheathed the blade and caused the hilt to retract to its compact size.

"Success! A resounding success!" Cerveau exclaimed. "Everything's in perfect working order! Now, all it needs is a name. A rod that extends thrice… I'll call it the Triple Rod."

Iris made a face. She had a hard time imagining Zero using the Triple Rod. It was so different from his Z-Saber that he'd have to adapt an entirely different fighting style to use it. Still, Zero had surprised her multiple times already, and Cerveau seemed confident that Zero would pick up on how to use it quickly enough.

"Thanks for your help today, Iris," said Cerveau. "I'll give this to Zero later. You should get some rest."

The female Reploid nodded before gathering her supplies and exiting the lab. She was surprised at how late it had gotten. She was still nowhere close to being done with the hallways, but it was nearly time for dinner. She put her supplies away for the day and brought Ciel her food just as Lumen was released from her weekly research.

"What have you been doing all day?" the Cyber Elf asked. "You're filthy!"

Iris looked down at herself and saw that her dress was covered with dirt and oil smudges. She smiled sheepishly and shrugged, feeling foolish for not realizing how dirty she had gotten. Once Ciel was done eating, Iris headed for the showers. Lumen let her bathe in peace, saying that there was something she needed to do. That concerned Iris, and her concern increased when she returned to her room and did not find Lumen waiting for her. She had no doubts that the Cyber Elf was up to some form of mischief, and she dreaded the chaos that was going to follow.

Lumen arrived in Iris's room two hours later, red-faced and looking positively giddy. Iris frowned at her in an attempt to demand what was going on.

"What's with the angry look, Riss?" Lumen asked. "Sorry I'm so late. I didn't expect my business to take this long."

Iris crossed her arms and glared at the Cyber Elf. Lumen was acting too suspiciously for her "business" to have been anything good, but Iris had no proof and no means of voicing her concerns. Working all day had also left her exhausted. She didn't have the energy to squeeze a confession out of Lumen, so she turned in for the night and prayed that she wouldn't wake up to the sound of angry Reploids.

By some stroke of luck, her prayers were answered. The morning was quiet and peaceful. Her initial relief evaporated when she noticed that Lumen was missing. She hurried to her vanity to get herself ready to find the Cyber Elf, only to see a suspicious envelope lying on it. She had a bad feeling that Lumen was behind the envelope's appearance, but curiosity got the better of her and she opened it.

If Iris had not been mute, her scream would have shattered her mirror. She dropped the envelope and its contents and covered her eyes, shrieking a long string of silent no's. She knew Lumen was fascinated with male bodies, but she never would have guessed the elf would go this far.

The envelope contained several racy photographs of Zero taking a shower. Iris had no idea how Lumen got away with that, but at the moment, she was too mortified to care. Worse yet, the envelope included an order form for more pictures. Did Lumen actually think she was willing to buy such vulgar material?

Keeping her eyes firmly shut, Iris shredded the photographs, but the damage had been done. She feared she never would be able to get those images out of her head. It didn't help that Zero actually looked kind of good without his helmet. Iris balked at where her thoughts were going and violently shook her head. She swore she would wring Lumen's neck the next time she saw her, but before she could hunt the Cyber Elf down, she needed to make breakfast for Ciel.

The scientist's face looked slightly flushed when Iris arrived with her tray of food. At first, she was afraid that Ciel had gotten sick, but then she noticed the open envelope lying on Ciel's computer desk. Against her better judgement, she picked it up.

"Wait, don't open that!" Ciel cried, but it was too late. Iris's eyes were assaulted by the same photographs she found in her room. Her reaction was much the same. She dropped the envelope and covered her face with her hands, cursing Lumen with every fiber of her being. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, she heard the lab door open.

"What's going on here?"

Iris wondered why Zero always picked the worst times to show up. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and disappear. While Ciel gave Zero a nervous greeting, Iris fell to the floor and tried to hide. It proved to be her undoing as she only drew Zero's attention.

"Iris, what's wrong?" he asked, kneeling down to her level. Iris immediately turned away and closed her eyes. She couldn't look at Zero without those damned pictures coming to mind. "Wait, what's this?" Zero suddenly asked.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that he had found one of the photos. An awkward silence followed, during which Iris sincerely hoped the former Maverick Hunter didn't think she was some dirty-minded fangirl. She halted her train of thought. Why did she care about what Zero thought of her?

"Damn that Lumen," he growled, and a crumpling sound revealed just what he thought of the photo. "I'll be right back."

Iris only dared to open her eyes when she heard the lab's door close again. Lumen was going to be in major trouble once Zero found her, and if he was as tenacious as Iris had heard, he wouldn't give up until he had caught her. Sure enough, within half an hour Zero returned holding a pouting Lumen by the wings.

"This troublemaker thought she could make a black market out of selling pictures of me to the female Resistance members," he said. "You two were just a couple of her targets."

"You're such a killjoy, Zero," grumbled Lumen.

"You're a perverted brat," he countered. "You were the one who took those lewd pictures in the first place."

"They are my finest work," Lumen said proudly, only to squeak when Zero squeezed her wings. "H-hey! Easy on the wings! That hurts!"

"Apologize. Now."

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry!"

Zero lazily looked over at Ciel and Iris. "What do you two propose we do with her?"

"Well, I don't think Lumen meant any harm," said Ciel. "Still, this behavior isn't something we should encourage."

A devilish grin spread across Iris's face as she got an idea. She snatched Lumen from Zero―being careful to not look directly at him―and stuffed the elf into her storage container. Then she presented the container to Ciel.

"What? No, Riss! I already went through that yesterday!" cried Lumen. "Don't hand me over to her again!"

"Actually, I think another day of research would be perfect," said Ciel. "I'll be sure to take good of Lumen."

"Nooooooo!" Lumen screamed as Ciel took the container. "Riss, have mercy on me! Pleeeease!"

Iris merely crossed her arms and grinned evilly, as if to say, "Tough luck." She waved good-bye to the Cyber Elf and left the lab, ignoring Lumen's cries of protest. She smiled to herself, immensely satisfied that Lumen had gotten her just deserts. A shiver ran down her spine when she heard Zero chuckle nearby.

"I like your style," he said with a smirk. Iris quickly averted her gaze in an attempt to hide her blush. There was a short pause, and she could almost see him frowning at her. "I'm sorry you ended up seeing…that."

She sighed and shook her head. It wasn't his fault that Lumen had such a dirty mind, and it's not like he could help that he was designed with an attractive body. She didn't bother denying it; Lumen's pictures made it clear that Zero was a stud. Unfortunately for her, he also happened to be a complete asshole.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out for any more peeping Cyber Elves the next time I shower," said Zero. "You sure you're doing okay?"

Iris nodded, but still couldn't bring herself to look at him. She yelped when Zero grabbed her face and forced her to meet his eyes. "Forget about those damned pictures for a second, alright? I can't stand seeing you too afraid to even look at me!"

Damn those eyes, Iris thought. She was once again hopelessly lost in their depths. Everything except that beautiful blue faded away. She barely noticed herself nodding to Zero's demand, but his voice was as clear as ever as he said, "I promise will never, ever do anything to hurt you, so you don't have to be afraid of me, alright?"

Iris wanted to say that she was embarrassed, not afraid, but she was powerless under the intensity of his gaze. Not only that, she currently had no voice. So she nodded a second time, and he released her, breaking the spell. "Good," he said. "I need to get to ready for my mission now, so I'll see you later. Take care, Iris."

It was only much later when it occurred to Iris just how odd it was for Zero to be concerned about hurting her. As much as he annoyed her, she trusted that he would protect her and the rest of the Resistance. She had no reason to be afraid of him, so why would that concern him so much? Zero seemed to get more puzzling every day.

Iris shook her head and returned her focus to sweeping. She had no time to worry about him. She had a lot to do, and if she wanted to have any hope of getting her voice back, she would have to accomplish it all.

* * *

**I've finally done it! For the last two months I've been busy with school, work, and my design project, but I finally got my butt back to writing. I managed to churn this out over the last few days because the longest and hardest part of my design project is over. I'm so sorry for making everyone wait…AGAIN. I'll try to keep updating, but I don't know how consistent I will be.**

**Originally I was going to have Iris walk in on Zero in the shower during this chapter, but I thought that was too unrealistic and cliché. I think what I did instead was a lot more entertaining. I hope everyone enjoyed this.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"How the hell did I let this happen?"

That was the only thought on Iris's mind as she lay sprawled on the floor. She was on her stomach, her cheek resting against the ground, her limbs splayed at odd angles and her broom lying close to her right hand.

Considering the run of bad luck that she'd been having ever since Zero arrived at the base, Iris supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that her energy stores decided to bottom out while she was sweeping one of the base's least-traversed hallways. Thanks to Lumen's mischief, she hadn't had a chance to eat that day. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she was rendered incapacitated.

The good news was that the hall's lights provided her solar cells with enough energy to keep her operational. The bad news was that the energy was only enough to power her vitals. As a result, nearly all of her motor functions were disabled, leaving her stuck until someone came by to help her.

It had been almost an hour since her body had decided to give out and Iris was getting seriously annoyed. The cold metal floor was far from an ideal place to lie down. Her only solace was that her current position was an improvement from where she had started. Initially, she had been on her knees with the top of her head firmly planted on the floor, but gravity eventually dragged her body down.

Rocinolle was going to kill her when she found out about this. And Lumen would join in once Ciel let her go. And probably Aigel, too. And Zero―

"Iris!"

Well, shit, Iris thought. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Zero was at her side in an instant and asked if she was all right. She loathed owing him yet again, but she was in no shape to protest. She narrowed her eyes before carefully mouthing her predicament.

Iris was grudgingly impressed with Zero's ability to lip read, as he leapt into action immediately. He lifted her body off the ground, using one arm to support her back while he sat her on his knees. With his free hand, he presented her with an E-crystal. Iris opened her mouth, and with a gentleness that astonished her, Zero fed her the crystal. She could feel the energy flowing through her body within moments of consuming it, and she released a huge sigh of relief as her motor functions were restored.

"Damn it, kitten, why do you always get yourself in trouble the instant I let you out of my sight?" Zero asked. Iris scowled at him, only to stiffen when he fingered the tag on her necklace. "I made the right choice in deciding to track you."

His finger lightly brushed her neck, and she felt a powerful jolt of electricity course through her. She flinched and smacked Zero out of instinct, and while she was too weak to put much force behind the blow, it was enough to make him withdraw his hand. Once the tingling stopped, she glared at the former Maverick Hunter. Damn him and his stupid tracking collar.

"Can you stand?" Zero asked, unperturbed as ever. Iris's scowl deepened and she forced herself to her feet. She tried to take a step, but her legs gave out. Before she could kiss the floor, something snaked around her waist and yanked her backwards until she met with an unexpected wall of warmth.

Iris's breath caught in her throat. Her back was now pressed firmly into Zero's chest, and she could feel his arm holding her in place. Unbidden, her thoughts drifted to Lumen's photos. Her face went very red as she realized only a couple centimeters of protective armor separated her from that sculpted body.

"I figured you would try that," Zero sighed. "You're in no shape to be walking around on your own, Iris."

His breath tickled her ear, and she shuddered. She was grateful that she was not human, because she found that she was quite suddenly unable to breathe. She squirmed a little in an attempt to get some personal space, but Zero's arm would not budge in the slightest. She was trapped.

Zero, oblivious to her discomfort, proceeded to lift Iris into his arms. "Come on. Let's go see Rocinolle."

Iris paled. She was going to be in so much trouble. Sure enough, when she arrived at the infirmary, Rocinolle gave her the scolding of a lifetime. Iris could do nothing but cringe throughout the lecture. To his credit, Zero remained silent, but that didn't make Iris feel any less humiliated. It didn't help that this was her third time in the infirmary in a week. For a non-combat Reploid, that was pathetic.

Fortunately, aside from her energy deficiency, Iris was given a clean bill of health. Rocinolle gave her a handful of E-crystals and ordered her to return to her room to get some rest. Iris obliged, grateful that she had the strength to walk again. As she trudged back to her room, she realized it was time for Ciel's dinner.

"Where do you think you're going?" Zero asked as she began to make a beeline for the kitchen. Iris jumped and whirled towards him. How long had he been tailing her?

Zero jabbed his thumb towards the hall behind him. "You heard Rocinolle's orders. Now get your ass to your room."

Iris trembled, barely able to restrain her fury. Who did he think he was, bossing her around like that? She would have screeched all of sorts of choice words at him if she had her voice. It would have felt good to unleash her frustration on something, even if it had no effect on Zero. He took her insults in stride, and if she tried to make a stand or run away, he was more than capable of making her obey.

A cold hand gripped her core as the full weight of her situation became apparent. She was nothing more than Zero's pet. Like a dog chained to a pole, she could bark and pull at her bonds all she wanted, but she could never escape.

The analogy was too much to bear. Fighting the sudden urge to burst into tears, Iris stormed past Zero and rushed to her room. Upon arriving, she immediately collapsed on her bed and began to sob.

She wasn't sure why she was crying. Zero wasn't worth her tears. Maybe this was just her body's way of purging her pent-up anger. She was angry, for sure, but something wasn't right. She hadn't been activated long enough to be certain, but she was pretty sure that anger wasn't supposed to make her feel like someone had stuck a knife into her chest.

Iris yanked her tracking collar in a fit of frustration. Ever since Zero had dropped into her life, she'd been having nothing but problems. She felt like she had no control over her emotions whenever she was in his presence, and that had been getting her into so much hot water it was a wonder she hadn't been boiled alive already.

She stopped sniffling for a moment. Scratch that, she _had_ been boiled alive. When Zero had pinned her against him, her body temperature had skyrocketed to a point where she was surprised she didn't melt. In that moment, she had forgotten all of her distaste for Zero and was entirely focused on the fact that he was holding her close.

Her thoughts screeched to a halt. Lumen's photographs must have corrupted her mind. She felt nothing for Zero except for intense loathing. So what if he was the most handsome Reploid she had ever set eyes on? It didn't change the fact that he was an ass.

A surprisingly gentle ass.

Iris had a strong urge to clock herself over the head in hopes of dislodging a bit of sense. Since when did she start thinking such foolish things? Clearly, her elevated temperature had caused a crucial fuse or two to melt. It wasn't all that unreasonable for Rocinolle to have missed something. On the other hand, Iris didn't think it was a good idea to check into the infirmary yet again, or else poor Rocinolle might end up becoming the one requiring treatment.

Iris nodded to herself, deciding to deal with this issue on her own. For the time being, she thought it best to do as Rocinolle ordered and get some rest. Maybe it would help her circuits to repair themselves. She closed her eyes and sank into oblivion almost immediately.

She found herself on her dream plane and frowned. What did her so-called conscience have to say to her this time?

"_You have felt it, haven't you?"_

"Felt what?" Iris asked. Then she gasped and clutched her throat.

"_This is your mind. Your body's impediments are not an issue here. As for your question, I was referring to the pain."_

"My life has been nothing but a pain for the past week," Iris grumbled bitterly. "You could stand to be a little more specific, Miss Conscience."

It suddenly occurred to her that her conscience's voice sounded very similar to her own. If the voice really was her conscience, as it had claimed, she supposed that would make sense.

"_The pain in your heart. Didn't you feel it this evening?"_

"Heart? Heart?!" Iris could hardly believe her ears. "What are you talking about? I'm a Reploid! I don't have a heart! I have a power core, and it certainly has not been paining me!"

"_It seems you have much to learn, still," _the voice sighed. _"Just remember that if you continue to grow closer to Zero, that pain will multiply a hundredfold."_

"You think I don't know that?!" Iris snapped. "And I am NOT growing closer to Zero! I can't stand him!"

"_So says your head. But what about your heart?"_

"Weren't you listening? I don't have a heart!" Iris screeched. Then she gasped as her surroundings began to turn white. "Wait, don't go! I'm not finished with you! HEY!"

She awoke with a start. She sat up quickly, determined that her voice was still gone, and sighed gustily. Damned conscience. Was it always going to call her without warning, spout a bunch of nonsense, and then kick her out? At least it had been right about one thing: Zero was nothing but trouble. If she never had to deal with him again, it would be too soon. If only she could get his damned tracking collar off.

She sighed again and proceeded with her usual routine, making sure she had plenty to eat this time. She would need as much energy as possible to throttle Lumen the instant she set eyes on her.

She was all too happy to pick up the Cyber Elf once Ciel had breakfast. Iris couldn't blame Lumen for being nervous. She was sure she had an evil glint in her eyes.

For the rest of the day, Iris held Lumen captive in her left hand and worked with her right. When she was forced to use both hands, she stuffed the Cyber Elf into her storage container. Lumen complained almost constantly, but Iris didn't care. The Cyber Elf deserved to be treated this way after corrupting her mind so badly.

Iris was in a very good mood. Lumen was being suitably punished, she saw no sign of Zero, and she was able to get a lot of work done. As she prepared to retire to her room, she was unexpectedly stopped.

"Oy, Riss!"

It was Aigel. Iris was so surprised that she didn't know what to think. It felt like ages since she had last spoken to her. She waved awkwardly at her friend, a guilty smile crossing her features.

"Well, if it isn't the redhead," Lumen remarked. Iris shot her a glare, but Aigel seemed to not care.

"I've been lookin' all over for you!" she exclaimed. "I've wanted to talk with you for a long time, but work's been so busy I haven't had a chance to see you before you went to bed!"

Iris shook her head apologetically. It was partially her fault that Aigel and the other medics were so overworked. If only she hadn't fallen to pieces. Aigel gently patted her on the head, seeming to hear her thoughts.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I'm not mad at you," Aigel said. "Why don't we hang out together tonight? You know, for old time's sake?"

Iris gave Lumen a serious look. The Cyber Elf rolled her eyes.

"I promise I'll behave," she groaned. "Now will you please let me go?"

Iris finally released her grip on Lumen. The Cyber Elf whooped in joy before flying off to parts unknown. Iris prayed she would keep her word before returning her attention to Aigel.

"Follow me," said the redhead. She led Iris through numerous hallways and onto the lift to the lowest floor of the base. As they walked, Aigel gave Iris a curious look.

"Say, where'd you get that necklace? It's cute."

Iris blushed and averted her eyes, nervously tugging at the collar. It was probably for the best that Aigel didn't know its true purpose. She likely wouldn't be able to stop laughing.

Iris's concern must have been evident on her face, because Aigel suddenly looked sheepish. "Sorry. I forgot you can't exactly talk right now."

Iris smiled and nodded weakly, hoping that would suffice as forgiveness. They continued their stroll in silence, and finally stopped at a perfectly ordinary looking shelf. Aigel turned and gazed at Iris sternly.

"You cannot tell what you see here to anyone," she warned.

Iris had no idea what was going on, but she nodded anyway. Aigel then knocked on the shelf in a most peculiar fashion. A moment later, the shelf slid aside, revealing a hidden room.

"Come on in," Aigel beckoned. Iris cautiously followed her friend, flinching as the shelf slid shut behind her. She took a moment to examine her surroundings. The room was warm and inviting, filled with soft lighting, music, and cheerful conversation. Numerous Reploids were seated at tables or the long counter in front of her, while few others were dancing in a small area off to her left. Iris was surprised to recognize some of them. A single Reploid behind the counter was busy cleaning and tending to a large shelf filled with numerous canisters and glasses.

"Welcome to Rivet Retreat, Riss," said Aigel. "The Resistance's secret nightclub. Only those who know the knock are allowed in."

Iris could only gape at her surroundings. The base held a place like this? Did Ciel know about it?

"In case you're wondering, no, the Doc doesn't know about this place," said Aigel. "If she did, the club wouldn't be so exclusive. No offense to her, but she doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut." She smiled widely. "This is where Resistance members can come relax after a long, hard day. There's dancing and drinking and music and plenty of conversation. I figured it might be a good way to loosen that tongue of yours."

Iris was too stunned to respond with anything but a nod. A secret club? It sounded almost too good to be true. If the place were as secret and exclusive as Aigel claimed, it would be the one place Zero couldn't reach her.

She felt herself pale. What was she thinking? No matter where she went, Zero would know because of that stupid collar still locked around her neck! By now, he had probably noticed she hadn't gone to bed. If he tracked her here…

"What's with the long face?" Aigel asked. "Don't you like it?"

Iris quickly plastered a smile onto her face and nodded, but tried to make it obvious that she really had to leave. Aigel rolled her eyes, grabbed her arm and dragged her to the counter, where they both took seats.

"Oy, Cask!" she greeted.

"Hey there, Aigel!" the Reploid working the counter said. He was an older looking male with short black hair, a decent build, and sporting the traditional Resistance garb. His grey eyes settled on Iris. "I see you brought your friend today. Has she sworn to keep the secret?"

"Yes, although she can't say anything right now. Poor girl's lost her voice," Aigel said. She turned toward Iris. "Riss, this is Cask, the owner of Rivet Retreat. Well, he doesn't really own it, per say, but he's in charge of activities and membership. I was the one who convinced him to let you join. Believe me, it took a _lot_ of convincing."

"Nice to finally meet you, Iris," said Cask. Iris nodded at him, trying not to look as panicked as she felt. "Aigel's told me a lot about you. She's a regular here, usually stopping by after work. So, are you ordering anything tonight?"

"Two carburitas, on the rocks," said Aigel. She shoved a small handful of E-crystals across the counter, which Cask quickly pocketed before he set to work. He took a small stemmed conical glass, dipped the rim in a white powder, and then dropped several ice cubes into it. He poured the contents of several of the canisters behind him into the glass, and then shoved the glass towards Aigel. He repeated his actions with a second glass and gave it to Iris. She stared at it as if it were about to rear up and attack.

"Relax, Riss. It's ethanol," Aigel explained, sipping her beverage. "It's the perfect thing to unwind with after a long day. What say you?"

Iris glanced toward the door. She had to leave soon, because she knew a secret shelf wouldn't stop Zero. But at the same time, Aigel had spent her own rations on her. With great reluctance, Iris lifted the glass and sniffed her drink. She wrinkled her nose; it smelled awful. Aigel was having no problems drinking it, though, so she supposed it was safe enough. She took a tentative sip and her eyes bugged out. It began sour, then turned sweet, and then burned as if it were liquid fire. She was tempted to spit it out, but she didn't want to disappoint Aigel, so she forced herself to swallow. The liquid ignited her throat as it slid down, and she pounded her chest and coughed out of instinct.

Aigel chortled heartily. "Don't worry, Riss. That happened to me when I had my first drink, too. It's not so bad once you get used to it."

Iris seriously doubted that, but she didn't want to waste the E-crystals Aigel had used on her behalf, so she reluctantly took another sip of her drink. As she suspected, the beverage burned as much as it did the first time. She must have been making quite the expression, as both Aigel and Cask were laughing at her.

Aigel playfully ruffled Iris's hair before lifting her glass. "I propose a toast! To our newest member, Iris!"

All the other Reploids in the club did the same with their drinks. "To our newest member, Iris!"

Iris blushed and tried to hide behind her hair, but Aigel would have none of it. She encouraged Iris to lift her glass as well, and a small clink rang out as their glasses collided.

"Welcome to the club, Riss," Aigel said, winking.

Iris nodded quickly before downing the rest of the carburita in a single gulp. It felt like sweet and sour lava in her stomach, and she nearly gagged. Ignoring Aigel's concerned stare, she leapt to her feet and dashed toward the door. Mercifully, it slid open when she slammed her hand on it, and it closed behind her just as she saw a familiar figure turn the corner.

She collapsed from relief. That had been too close.

"What are you doing here, Iris?" Zero asked.

Something was wrong. She felt like the world was whirling around her, even though she knew she wasn't moving. And why did everything look so blurry?

"Iris?"

"Mmmm?" she moaned. She belatedly realized that the carburita seemed to have burned away her throat blockage. "Zero?"

He looked surprised that she was able to speak, but quickly recovered and helped her to her feet. She would've slapped his hands away if she didn't feel so dizzy.

Zero frowned at her. "Iris, have you been drinking?"

"Yeah," she slurred, finding herself unable to lie. "What's wrong with that? Aigel bought it for me. I didn't like it, but I didn't want her to have wasted her E-crystals."

"Where'd Aigel get it from?" asked Zero.

"I can't say. I promised not to tell," Iris said.

Zero narrowed his eyes slightly. "Can you at least tell me if it's safe?"

"Sure, it's safe," Iris replied. "Only members are allowed in. And it sounds like membership's pretty exclusive. Aigel said it took a lot of convincing to let me in."

Zero didn't look completely convinced, but it seemed to satisfy him for now. "I suppose that's good enough. I don't know where you went, but as long as you stay with Aigel and don't get yourself drunk again, you should be okay."

"I'm not drunk," Iris insisted.

"Yes, you are. Your breath reeks of ethanol," said Zero. "How much did you drink?"

"One…what was it called? One carburita."

"Just one?!"

"Yep. And it didn't taste very good," Iris murmured. "It burned a lot."

Zero sighed gustily. "You need to get to bed."

"I can make it there myself," Iris said as she tried to tug her arms away.

"No way. If I leave you alone you'll end up asleep in the hall, or worse, someone else's bed."

Iris scowled. Did he really have so little faith in her? Never mind that the ground seemed to move like a ship in a raging storm.

"Let's go," Zero said, taking her by the hand. She was assaulted by such a strong electric jolt that she nearly passed out on the spot. What was happening to her? Maybe she really was drunk, like Zero had said. In any case, she had no choice but to awkwardly stumble after him.

Stubborn jerk.

She would never admit it aloud, but the feeling of his hand in hers was really nice. Why couldn't he do this more often instead of hauling her around like baggage? She knew why. He was an asshole. Yep, just a huge asshole who loved nothing more than bossing her around.

An asshole with a very nice hand and very, very beautiful eyes.

Damn it. She was really in trouble.

* * *

**I am so freaking sorry. This is months overdue. I've had about a thousand words of this chapter written since November but it was sitting on my computer collecting dust for ages because I got stuck. And a lot of things happened. Like graduation. And a massive Zelda binge. But my muse finally worked with me (I think reading more Lynn Kurland romances helped), and just in time for Valentine's Day! Go me!**

**I also noticed during my drought that several stories with similar plots to this one have popped up. I guess that makes me a trendsetter. Anyway, I really hope this chapter was worth the long wait. I have no idea when inspiration will strike me again, and I'm trying to find a job at the moment, so who knows when the next update will be? I hope it won't be another three and a half month wait…**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

For approximately the one hundredth time, Iris thought to herself how good it felt to be able to speak.

Regaining her voice had not been easy. Her tongue had been loosened while she was intoxicated, but after sleeping off the ethanol she was not happy to discover that she had lost her voice again and had received a splitting headache in exchange. Feeling like someone was pounding a hammer on the inside of her skull convinced her to never drink again.

On the other hand, the brief period where she was able to speak motivated her more than ever to permanently regain her voice. She tackled her self-appointed cooking and cleaning duties with gusto, and assisted other Reploids with whatever odd jobs that needed doing. She was extra careful about keeping her energy levels high, because she did not want to end up stuck on the floor again. And every evening when her work was done, she joined Aigel at Rivet Retreat to unwind and relax. Luckily for her, Cask and Aigel let that instance where she bolted from club slide.

Looking back, Iris supposed those evenings she spent in the nightclub were what helped her the most. For a couple hours every day, she could forget all her problems and act like the normal civilian Reploid she was built to be. Zero kept his word and did not disturb her while she was at Rivet Retreat, giving her one less thing to concern herself with.

All this cumulated one night when Aigel, buzzed from a pair of cocktails, told a ridiculous joke that left Iris howling. Her laughter morphed into a shocked gasp when she realized that her voice had finally emerged from her throat. Aigel noticed as well, and when it became clear that Iris was no longer mute, the whole club celebrated. Aigel ordered a third drink, which she gulped down herself when Iris politely turned it down. Iris ended up having to help her friend back to her room afterwards, and the next morning, she helped nurse Aigel's hangover.

One week had passed since then. Iris formally apologized to Alouette, who was so happy and relieved that she almost burst into tears. Iris also resumed her former duties as a medic, which greatly pleased Rocinolle. However, she still prepared Ciel's meals and did a little housework in her free time. For the first time in weeks, she felt like her old self.

Hence why she hated when Zero gave her unexpected visits.

It was amazing how quickly her mood changed the instant she caught him in her sights. Every meeting reminded her how powerless she was before him, and how he had forced her to turn into his obedient pet. While she no longer begrudged him for Milan's death, that didn't make him any less unpleasant to be around.

For one, he continued to nickname her "kitten", which further cemented the fact that she was beneath him. He also had the uncanny ability to show up during the times when she was busy doing something―usually preparing food for Ciel. He was nothing more than a distraction, asking her silly questions like how she was doing and if she had eaten enough. For heaven's sake, she knew how to take care of herself! Zero clearly hadn't learned a thing about respecting a girl's personal space. Iris feared that one day he was going to drive her to do something drastic and stupid, like smashing a frying pan into his face or yanking his hair. She still could scarcely believe that hair was attached to a male head. It was so long and girly and shiny and…and…beautiful. Iris found herself wondering what it would be like to run her hands through it.

She only realized she had stopped walking when Lumen loudly addressed her. "Hey, Riss! What're you doing staring off into space?"

"Ah, it's nothing!" she exclaimed. "I was just lost in thought."

Lumen's grin sent chills down Iris's spine. "Oh? You wouldn't happen to be thinking about Zero, would you?"

"Get real!" Iris scoffed as convincingly as she could. "That jerk doesn't deserve my thoughts!"

"You're a terrible liar, Riss. You're blushing," Lumen chuckled.

"Shut up!" Iris shouted, trying to hide her traitorous cheeks. She stomped down the hall as best as she could without spilling her tray of food, cursing Zero, his hair, and Lumen all the while. She wished there were some sort of law against boys having prettier hair than girls. Yet another reason to dislike Zero.

She took several deep breaths to calm herself before knocking on Ciel's door. Ciel did not answer, which was not that unusual. Iris supposed the scientist had fallen asleep while working again, so she let herself into the lab. As she suspected, Ciel was sprawled over her desk. Iris set down the tray and gently shook Ciel's shoulder.

"Dr. Ciel, I brought breakfast," she called. She frowned when Ciel did not respond. Iris gently turned Ciel's head to get a better look at her face. She gasped when she saw that the scientist was pale as a sheet. Iris quickly touched Ciel's forehead and gasped a second time.

"ROCINOLLE!" she cried as she dashed towards the infirmary.

Ten minutes later, Ciel was in her bed while Iris, Rocinolle, Lumen, Alouette, and Zero looked over her. Rocinolle quickly confirmed the obvious: Ciel had fallen ill, and she was running a terrible fever. Rocinolle couldn't determine a direct cause, but she guessed that Ciel's large amount of stress combined with a less than adequate diet and lack of sleep over a long period of time had caused her immune system to weaken.

"Will Sis get better?" Alouette asked, clutching Kitty tightly.

"Yes, as long as she rests and drinks plenty of fluids," Rocinolle assured.

Iris glanced at Alouette, then at the unconscious Ciel. She felt the claws of guilt tearing through her stomach again. She had promised Alouette she would look after Ciel, and then this happened. What if Ciel's sickness was her fault? What if one of the ingredients she used had gone bad without her knowing? Why couldn't she have been just a little more diligent in caring for Ciel?

She was jerked from her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head towards its owner and saw Zero fixing her with a piercing look. Even though he said nothing, his message was clear.

_It's not your fault._

Iris frowned and stubbornly looked away. What did he know? To her knowledge, she was the only one who regularly provided for Ciel's well-being. The likelihood that this mess was at least partially her fault was high.

She pointedly ignored the fact that his silent reassurance had made her feel better.

A more important question emerged in her mind. _What are we going to do now?_ With Ciel out of commission, the Resistance was an army without a commander. Even Zero only acted on her orders―he relied on her guidance and technological experience during his missions.

"I will tend to Ciel until she has made a full recovery," said Rocinolle. "Iris, don't use my absence from the infirmary as an excuse to slack off."

"Yes, ma'am. I wouldn't dream of it."

"As for you, Zero," Rocinolle continued. "I suppose this means you'll be getting a well-deserved vacation."

Zero's only response was a grunt, and Iris fought the urge to snort. Doubtlessly he was going to use his free time to pester her. Lumen's grin showed that that she had come to the same conclusion, and that she was looking forward to what was going to unfold.

Iris groaned softly. It seemed like the universe was once again out to get her.

Rocinolle shooed everyone out of the room except for Alouette, who stubbornly refused to leave Ciel's side. Iris made a beeline for the infirmary, hoping to elude Zero for a little longer. Surely no one would mind if she started her shift a few hours early.

"Wait," Zero said, grabbing her wrist.

She shuddered. When was he going to stop zapping her with his hands?

"What do you want, Zero?" she asked irritably.

When he didn't answer right away, she forced herself to look at him. To her surprise, he looked a bit embarrassed. She felt an odd pang in her chest and found herself unable to look away. How was it possible that someone so irritating could look so cute?

"I―" He swallowed, seeming to gather his words. "I want to know what you do on a vacation."

Iris stared at Zero as if he had grown a second head. She snorted. She giggled. And then she burst into the loudest fit of laughter she could ever recall having. She laughed so hard that she doubled over, clutching her stomach. She continued laughing even as her chest ached and tears pricked from her eyes. She was so busy laughing that she barely noticed that Zero had let go of her wrist.

It was too much. Zero, the almighty former Maverick Hunter who everyone else in the base practically worshipped, didn't know how to take a vacation. She might have found it sad if it wasn't so hilarious.

At one point, Iris noticed that Zero had gone very red in the face, and she took enormous pleasure in it. "You―seriously―don't―know?" she asked between giggling fits.

"I wouldn't be asking if I did," he grumbled. "Is it really that funny that I don't know?"

"Yes!" Iris answered before bursting into laughter again.

It took almost ten minutes for her to calm down enough to speak clearly. Even then, she had to keep stifling giggles every few seconds.

"Are you done?" Zero asked gruffly.

"I think so," Iris snickered.

"Then will you tell me?"

Iris wanted to tell him to ask someone else, but she had a feeling that wouldn't go over well. Zero wasn't the type to take "no" for an answer. Not only that, but based on how embarrassed he looked right now, he probably wouldn't be too keen on going through the same experience a second time.

"It's really not that complicated," she began, getting her giggles under control. "When you're on vacation, you do whatever you want to do."

"What I want to do is keep everyone safe from Neo Arcadia."

Iris sighed and buried her face into her hand. "Zero, you're completely missing the point. That's your _job_. The idea is that you're supposed to be taking a break from your job."

"Then what do you suggest I do?"

She couldn't believe he was asking her such a question. "I don't know!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "Everyone spends their vacation differently. Some people go traveling. Others just sleep all day. It doesn't matter what you do as long as it makes you happy."

He gave her such a baffled expression that she almost laughed again. "What's with that face? Is the concept really that alien to you?"

Zero shook his head. "I don't remember ever doing anything just for pleasure."

Iris's mirth was washed away by a surge of pity. She didn't want to feel sorry for Zero, but she couldn't help herself. He didn't know anything about having fun. She supposed that, considering his background, it wasn't entirely surprising that such data was not cached in his primary database. He was programmed to be a tool of war, and a concept like fun would only get in the way of his duties.

"Well, luckily for you, bro," Lumen suddenly piped up. "Riss here would be thrilled to show you the ropes!"

"What?! Lumen!" Iris shrieked.

"I'll leave you to it, Riss," Lumen said with a wink. "Have fun on your date!"

Iris spluttered incoherently while the Cyber Elf made her escape. "LUMEN! GET BACK HERE! UGH, YOU ARE SO DEAD WHEN I CATCH YOU!"

It was too late. Lumen was already gone. Seeing Zero eyeing her oddly, Iris coughed and tried to conceal her flaming cheeks. "I don't know what goes through that Cyber Elf's head sometimes."

"What does she mean by 'date'?" Zero asked, cocking his head curiously. "She can't be referring to the calendar date."

Iris gaped at him. "You don't know?!"

"No. But from your tone, I assume it is something unpleasant."

Iris felt her blush spread to the tips of her ears. She desperately wished she was anywhere except in this conversation. She wasn't sure whether to be grateful or horrified at Zero's ignorance.

"Well, it isn't always unpleasant," she found herself saying. "But for both our sakes, it's best that you don't know about it."

She wanted to bash her head against the wall. It would have been so easy to lie, but the truth came spilling out before she could stop it.

"Why?" Zero asked.

Iris groaned. She had been afraid he would ask that. "Look, just forget it. It's not important."

"You're dodging the question."

"I don't care! I don't want to talk about it, all right?! This is awkward enough as is!"

Zero looked surprised at her outburst, but then lowered his eyes guiltily. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable."

Iris scoffed in disgust and turned her back on him. "About time you realized that."

"Iris, do you dislike me that much?" he asked.

"You're only just figuring that out?" she mocked. She glared at him to drive her point home, but made the enormous mistake of looking into his eyes. Despite his previous claim that he didn't care if she hated him, she could see the hurt swirling in those sapphire depths. She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from immediately apologizing.

She shouldn't have felt guilty. She should have reveled in the fact that she was causing him pain. Yet one glance into his soul had her wishing she could take her words back. Why did he hold such power over her, even when she had the upper hand?

She took a deep breath and sighed. "Look. I may not like you Zero, but since you actually asked me nicely for something instead of dragging me along against my will for once, I'll oblige you. I will tell you how to take a vacation."

"Really?"

A crazy idea popped into her head. She smirked and raised her index finger. "On one condition."

"What's that?"

In one swift movement, she dashed over to Zero and plucked his helmet from his head. "You have to find and catch me. And you can't cheat by using your damn tracker."

Before Zero could comprehend what happened, Iris stuck her tongue out at him and sprinted away. She heard him shouting after her a few seconds later. She knew he physically outmatched her, but she had a surprise for him. A few turns later, she reached a long corridor and ducked into a nearby room. Zero tried to follow her, but he was going too fast―his momentum sent him flying past the room where Iris hid. He slid a fair distance before falling flat on his back, courtesy of the floor wax Iris had applied the previous day.

After sparing a moment to laugh at him, Iris left her hiding spot and slipped down a different hallway. Their game of cat and mouse continued for nearly an hour, spanning almost every hall and room in the Resistance Base. Many Resistance members watched them in confusion as they raced by, but Iris ignored them. She used her knowledge of the base's layout to her advantage, but as time went on, she grew ever bolder with her movements. She got such a thrill out of narrowly evading Zero that she went out of her way to nearly get caught multiple times.

Her boldness proved to be her undoing. She was leading Zero down yet another waxed hallway when she lost her own footing. Her laughter turned into a startled scream, her arms whirled wildly at her sides, her beret soared off her head, and Zero's helmet flew free from her hand as she plummeted to the ground.

Something slammed into Iris's back, and instead of the hard floor, she found herself landing on something firm but comfortable. She skidded for almost ten feet before she came to a stop. She gasped for breath and tried to calm her whirring power core. She wasn't very successful, as she was all too aware of the arms secured around her stomach.

"Caught you," Zero purred in her ear. "Mission complete."

Iris shivered. "Very funny," she said stiffly. "All right, you win. Now can you let me go? I'd rather not lie on the floor all day."

Zero sat up and helped Iris get to her feet. She closed her eyes and brushed herself off, feeling much more at ease.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I've been better," she replied nonchalantly. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

"I didn't want you to get hurt. You said you'd let me protect you."

Oh. She had forgotten all about that. Iris opened her eyes and immediately wished she had kept them shut. She had been in too much of a rush to get a good look at him before, but the sight of Zero without his helmet almost brought her to her knees.

He was _gorgeous_. His bangs fell over his eyes and somehow made them look more intense. His hair showed no signs of having been confined, and it perfectly framed his handsome face. Lumen's photographs had nothing on seeing him helmetless in person.

"Iris. You can close your mouth now," he said.

Iris snapped her jaw shut and stared at her shoes. Her whole face was on fire. Damn it all, why did Zero have to be so handsome? She could have saved herself a whole lot of embarrassment if he were plain.

She gave a start when her beret was abruptly shoved into her vision.

"Here," Zero grunted.

She snatched it out of his hands and placed it back on her head. She squashed the unbidden disappointment she felt upon seeing that he was wearing his helmet again. "Thanks," she muttered.

"I filled your condition," said Zero. "Now will you tell me?"

It took Iris a moment to remember what he was talking about. Then she laughed. "You idiot," she teased, playfully poking his nose. "The game _was_ the lesson."

"Huh?"

"The point was to try to get you to understand what I meant by enjoying yourself," she explained. "It's a lot easier to do that with actions than words. Now, when you were chasing me all over the base, how did you feel?"

He frowned thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, I felt something kind of light and warm inside of me. It felt…good."

"Aha! So you aren't a hopeless case!" Iris exclaimed. "That feeling right there? You were _happy_. When you're on vacation, you do things that make you feel like that."

"Is that it?"

"That's it."

She squeaked when Zero suddenly placed his hands on her shoulders. "Iris, I want to learn more about this…happiness. Can you teach me?"

She struggled to make a coherent response. Zero was serious. Dead serious. Yet, how was she supposed to explain something as abstract as happiness to him? She had hoped her little game would be enough to satisfy him, but she had only earned herself another problem.

She was saved when an alarm started blaring loudly. A voice shouted over the PA that a large Mechaniloid was en route to the base. Zero stiffened and immediately went into soldier mode.

"Stay here," he ordered before dashing off.

"Zero, wait!" Iris cried, but he was already gone. She bit her lip worriedly. Zero had never gone out on a mission without Ciel to guide him before. He didn't even know what sort of Mechaniloid he was up against. As much as he annoyed her, she knew that the entire base was doomed if he fell in battle.

Iris took a deep breath. She couldn't believe what she was about to do, but she saw no other feasible option. Steeling her courage and hoping she wouldn't regret her decision, she ran towards Ciel's lab.

* * *

**Yes, I managed to update in a reasonable amount of time! I'm surprised, too! It's so great to have a cooperative muse. This chapter was inspired by a chapter in an early version of **_**To Bloom Again**_** that I still have on my DeviantArt account, but modified to fit the situation and the newer version of my writing style.**

**My logic here is that Dr. Wily didn't program Zero with things that would hinder a weapon of mass destruction, so that's why he doesn't know about things like vacations and dates, and happiness is a strange concept to him. Amnesia doesn't help with that, either. I'm not sure if I went too far, but hey, it's fanfiction, so it's okay to take a few liberties with canon material.**

**As of very recently this story has passed 5,000 views! I'm really happy about that, because it shows people are paying attention to my work. I'll try to keep writing as best I can, and hopefully I won't keep everyone hanging for months at a time again!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Ciel's computer loomed before Iris, appearing even larger and more imposing than it usually did. She swallowed. Although she had been determined to keep Zero from going into a fight blind, she was beginning to have doubts. She would get into serious trouble if she was caught messing with the computer, and there was the possibility that she could cause some irreparable problem.

She grimaced as she drove out the negative thoughts. Zero was risking his life to save everyone. This wasn't the time for her to get cold feet. If that jerk could face down a giant Mechaniloid without backing down, then she should tackle this computer. She sat herself in Ciel's chair, and her body began to move of its own volition. She quickly found a spare headset and placed it on her head, removing her beret to make room for it. Her fingers danced across the keyboard in a practiced way, as if they had done this hundreds of times before. In no time at all, she established a connection with Zero.

"Zero! Zero, do you copy?" she asked.

She fought not to laugh at the strangled noise he made. "Iris? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me, you idiot. Quick gawking; we've got a job to do."

"But―"

"Shut up and listen to me for once," Iris growled, fingers flying across the keyboard again. The screen in front of her lit up with multiple windows. One held flashing dots that she instantly knew to be radar. A second showed a live video feed of the base's exterior. From it, she could see the Mechaniloid out in the distance.

"The Mechaniloid is approaching at a steady velocity. I'd say we have about five minutes until impact."

"Roger that," said Zero.

Iris stared at her hands in disbelief as they continued to move independently from her mind. This was spooky. She had no idea what she was doing, but her body was acting like this was a normal everyday thing. A third window popped up on the monitor, showing a skeletal outline of the Mechaniloid. It was a massive machine with a giant spinning wheel covered with drills on its front side.

"I'm detecting a large number of explosives onboard the Mechaniloid," said Iris. "It likely intends to self-destruct. Our shield generator won't stand a chance if it reaches it."

"I won't let it."

Iris believed him. She couldn't decide if it was due to his track record or if his confidence was contagious, but those four words eased her worries. She returned her focus to the monitor and saw small explosions surrounding the Mechaniloid. Zero must have begun his assault.

"He'd better not try anything stupid," she muttered under her breath. Keeping her eyes glued to the monitor, she cranked up the shield generator's power to the maximum. It would do nothing except buy them a little more time, but she had to give Zero every chance possible.

"The Mechaniloid's velocity has increased. It's not interested in fighting you," Iris noted.

"I noticed."

"Recalculating time until impact." She tapped a few dozen keys. "We've got less than three minutes. I'm going to analyze it and see if I can find a weak point."

Her fingers flew across the keyboard again. Numerous characters that she couldn't understand scrolled in front of her eyes, but her body kept going. She was all too aware of the timer in one corner of the screen and the image of the Mechaniloid rapidly approaching.

"I've got it!" she exclaimed at last, slamming her hands on the keyboard. "I thought it was remotely controlled, but it's being manually operated by a Pantheon! The cockpit is well-concealed, but it's located close to the top of the Mechaniloid."

Zero grunted his approval, and without being told, understood what needed to be done. Using the video feed, Iris watched his figure dart at the Mechaniloid's cockpit over and over, his Z-Saber a blur of green as it sliced through the protective armor. She snorted humorlessly. Zero was as tenacious with his enemies as he was with her, and with thirty seconds to spare, the Mechaniloid grinded to a halt. Her eyes widened as she saw smoke billow from the wreckage.

"Zero, get out of there NOW!"

Seconds later, the Mechniloid exploded violently, hurling fire and shrapnel in every direction. The base's shields held up, but the Mechaniloid was reduced to burning rubble. There was no audial or visual sign of Zero.

"Zero, come in! ZERO!" Iris shrieked.

A soft snicker came over the radio, and her face burned as she realized she'd been had.

"I never thought I'd hear you so desperate to see me," Zero teased.

"You… YOU JERK!" she screeched. "Don't ever do that again!"

She couldn't decide which was worse: the worry that he was dead, or the sound of his laugh. Both had nearly done her in.

"I didn't mean to worry you. The shockwave from the explosion briefly disrupted my communicator," said Zero.

"I-I knew that!" Iris stammered. "I was just making sure it was working fine again!"

"Has anyone ever told you you're a terrible liar?"

She growled. "Just get your ass back in here so I can kick it. Iris out."

She took off the headset and huffed. That was the most stressful thing she had ever done. If Ciel had to do this every day, it was no wonder she had gotten so ill. More importantly, Iris still couldn't understand why her body had moved on its own. What was going on with her?

She replaced her beret and stood up, only to be overcome by a sudden wave of dizziness. She clutched her forehead and tried to steady herself, but the feeling grew stronger. She pitched forward and knew no more.

The next thing she was aware of was a faint, steady beeping. She felt a cool, hard surface underneath her back and a slight pressure on her forehead. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt like they were glued shut. The rest of her body was similarly paralyzed. Panic coursed through her like lightning. Where was she, and what was going on?

"All systems are stable."

Iris wondered who was speaking. The voice sounded female and familiar, but it wasn't Rocinolle, Ciel, or even her conscience. She could only conclude that she was no longer in the Resistance base. Dread filled her stomach as she realized that she had probably been kidnapped. But how? When? And by whom?

"Initiating simulation."

A series of whirs and beeps filled Iris's ears, and her terror increased tenfold. Simulation? She was being used in an experiment? She felt a horrible cold sensation touch her chest and slowly spread to her core. Within seconds, the cold thing inside her burned as if it had caught fire. Alarms blared around her, and her body began to tremble involuntarily.

Then came the pain.

Iris woke up screaming. As she shot upright, she heard someone call her name and felt a pair of hands clench her shoulders. She gasped for breath as the fear clouding her sight slowly dissipated. She soon realized she was face to face with Zero.

"Iris, are you all right?" he asked.

She had never been so happy to see him. She focused on the feeling of his hands on her shoulders: solid, warm, and real. She was safe in an infirmary bed, not strapped to a table and being experimented on. She closed her eyes and let herself go limp.

"Ack, don't you dare faint again!" Zero growled.

Iris mumbled a weak apology but did not move. Her relief was overwhelming. She was afraid that if she looked at him again, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from crying.

"So, you've awakened."

Iris moaned softly at the sound of Rocinolle's voice before forcing herself to look at her boss. As she did so, Zero removed his hands from her shoulders. Rocinolle looked as cross as she sounded, but Iris wasn't afraid. Nothing Rocinolle did to her could possibly be as bad as what she experienced in her dream. Just the thought of that horrible pain made her shudder.

"Rocinolle, what happened to me?" she asked.

"Zero found you unconscious in Dr. Ciel's lab," said Rocinolle. "You overexerted your processor and nearly shorted it out. Why in the world did you attempt to fill in for Dr. Ciel?"

Iris closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

"Do you realize how foolhardy that was?!" shouted Rocinolle. "Not only did you put yourself at risk, but if something went wrong with that computer you could have jeopardized the entire base!"

"I know. And I'm sorry. But I couldn't just stand by and let Zero get hurt because he was fighting an enemy he knew nothing about."

"Wait, that's what this is about?" Zero interjected. "You didn't have to put yourself at risk for me!"

Iris scowled at him. "Idiot! If you're out of commission, then who will protect us the next time there's an attack? I'm replaceable. You're not."

"But―"

"That's enough, both of you!" scolded Rocinolle. "Zero, you are dismissed. Iris needs time to rest and recover. I will think of a suitable punishment for her later."

Zero looked like he wanted to object, but he grudgingly obeyed Rocinolle's command. Iris settled back into her bed, but even though she was tired, she was afraid to go to sleep. The memory of her nightmare was still fresh in her mind. The cold, the paralysis, the pain that wracked every inch of her body.

She frowned thoughtfully. According to her database, she wasn't supposed to feel pain in dreams. That meant that either her database was incorrect or she hadn't been dreaming at all. Neither explanation seemed plausible.

She forced herself to recall the voice from her dream. She didn't know many other females. There was Ciel, Passy, Aigel, Rocinolle, Alouette, Lumen, her conscience, and―

It was as if something clicked into place in her head. She had been too frightened to think properly before, but now she had no doubts. The voice in her dream belonged to her creator, Professor Dahlia.

Countless questions sprouted in Iris's mind. If that had really been Professor Dahlia, then it was possible that her dream was actually a memory. But she hadn't been activated until almost two months ago, so how could she have a memory like that? And even then, why had her creator performed such terrible experiments on her?

She shivered, unsure if she wanted to know the answers. The Professor Dahlia from her dream was much different than the one from the voice recording left in her database. Which message was she supposed to believe?

Fatigue caught up with her and she felt her eyelids grow heavy. She fought to remain conscious, but sleep dragged her into its dark abyss. She prayed she wouldn't awaken to find herself at the mercy of her creator.

Instead, she found herself at the mercy of her conscience.

"_If I had a body of my own I would personally knock some sense into that stubborn head of yours. Now look at what your foolishness has wrought."_

"Did you have something to do with that nightmare?" Iris asked.

"_No. That was your own doing. When you tapped into functions your processor wasn't designed for, you unearthed something that was never supposed to come to light."_

"Then that dream was―"

"_A memory from when you were still in development. Professor Dahlia had placed you in a semi-conscious state to perform tests."_

"But why? And what were those tests for?"

"_It is not the time for you to know."_

"Don't give me that crap! I have a right to know the reason why I was built!"

"_It was the professor's wish that you not know your purpose until the time comes that you must fulfill it."_

"But why?"

"_You are just like a child, always asking why. Has it ever once occurred to you that maybe it is best that you don't know the truth?"_

"What? What are you saying? And how do you know all this, anyway?"

"_I will tell you when the time is right."_

"Stop being so evasive!" Iris gasped as the whiteness signaling her imminent awakening started to appear. "Wait! Please, just tell me why I'm not supposed to know my purpose!"

An unseen force began to drag her away towards consciousness, but as the last bit of blackness changed to white, she managed to catch one last utterance.

"_If you knew the fate that awaits you, you may wish you had never been built."_

* * *

**Short chapter this time. Sorry if you're a little disappointed, but this felt like the best place to stop. I hope that, despite the length, there was enough intrigue to keep things interesting. Also, thanks for all the favorites and follows! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it when I get an email out of the blue telling me about a new favorite and/or follower! I'll try to keep working hard at writing this story so I don't leave everyone hanging for months at a time again!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Rocinolle gave Iris one last check up before releasing her. Her processor was in good shape, so she was cleared to leave, but not without repercussions. Rocinolle put her under house arrest until Ciel recovered from her illness. Iris would only be allowed to leave her room to work in the infirmary. She would have gladly obeyed those terms, but Rocinolle didn't trust her at her word.

Iris sighed heavily from her seat on her bed and spared a glance at her jailor. She was not at all surprised that things had come to this, but that didn't make it any less awkward. Lumen had taken great pleasure in the arrangement and teased her about it before flying off. As annoyed as Iris was, at least this was at least better than being Professor Dahlia's experiment.

"Why are you even here?" she grumbled. "You always know exactly where I am thanks to this―" she tugged on her choker, "―so what's the point?"

"You have a talent for getting yourself in trouble when I'm not watching you," Zero replied.

She frowned at him. "No, I don't! In fact, I managed perfectly fine before you came along!"

Zero raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her. She groaned and massaged her temples.

"Fine, have it your way," she grumbled. "But you'd better not watch me when I go to sleep. It's creepy."

"What if you have another nightmare?" he asked.

"That's none of your concern."

His expression grew serious. "Of course it's my concern. I promised to protect you."

Iris opened and closed her mouth several times as she considered how to respond. Finally, she asked, "But why?"

"Did you already forget? You almost died. I'm not going to lose you again."

Iris turned her head so quickly that she nearly gave herself whiplash. "Wait, what do you mean by 'again'?"

"I―" Zero grimaced and touched the jewel on his helmet. "I don't know."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you have a girlfriend or something?"

"A what?"

Iris stared at the wall and cursed herself for her slip up. "Um… You know, a girl that you were like, really close to."

There was a short pause. "I don't remember."

Iris released a soft sigh. "Right. Amnesia."

"But I can't shake this feeling that I've seen you somewhere before," said Zero.

"Don't be stupid. That's impossible."

"Iris. Ever since I was awakened, I've heard only two names familiar to me: yours and X's. This isn't something I can just brush off."

"Coincidence," Iris said coldly. "There could've been hundreds of Reploids named Iris in your day. And maybe one of them just happened to look kind of like me. Well, you'd better stop using me as a replacement for her, or else you're an even bigger asshole than I thought."

"Iris―"

"Stop. Just shut up and leave me alone."

She turned so she could lie on her stomach before burying her face in her pillow. Stupid, stupid Zero. He never really cared about her. She just reminded him of his old girlfriend that he couldn't even remember properly. What she couldn't understand was why those thoughts made the invisible knife plunge into her chest again.

She laid there for a very long time, doing her best to keep her sobs as soft as possible. Only when her hunger became too much to ignore did she finally move. She stood up, trudged over to her vanity, and pulled out her pouch of E-crystals. Without thinking, she gave Zero a sideways glance and tossed one at him. He looked mildly surprised, but caught it easily.

"Why―"

"I never paid you back for peeling me off the floor," Iris explained. She pulled a few more crystals out for herself and sat back down on her bed. She ate the crystals slowly and deliberately, savoring their sweet flavor. When she finished, she saw Zero standing in front of her.

"What?" she asked.

Without warning, Zero wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. Iris was so surprised that all she could do was squeak.

"Am I doing this right?" Zero asked.

"Huh?"

"I've seen Ciel do this to Alouette sometimes. It always seemed to help them both feel better."

Iris was unable to respond with anything except unintelligible noises. Her insides felt like they had melted into a warm puddle of goop, and the pain melted away with them. Her processor slowed to a crawl as it tried to sort through her conflicting emotions. She hated Zero, so why was she enjoying this?

At last, she chuckled wryly. "You idiot. You don't even know what a hug is?"

"Is that what this is called?"

"Yes, and you did just fine. I do feel a little better," said Iris.

"I'm sorry," Zero said after releasing her. "I didn't mean to make you upset. I swear I wasn't using you as a replacement for anyone."

"You swear it?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"I swear it on my honor."

She sighed heavily. "I still don't believe you could have possibly seen me before you lost your memory, but whatever. I'll take you at your word. Holy crap; you're actually smiling."

It was barely noticeable―just the tiniest curve in the corners of his mouth―but it was enough to make Iris sit back down on her bed. Damn it all, how could something that hardly counted as a smile make her feel like she was being bathed in warm sunshine?

Surprised, Zero touched his mouth. "This is called smiling?"

"Your ignorance knows no bounds," Iris said dryly. "But yes. It's something people do when they're happy."

"Happy," Zero echoed, placing his palm over his chest. "You mentioned that emotion the other day, but I still don't understand it."

"You don't have to understand happiness, you dolt. You just feel it."

"Is there any way I can feel like this more often?"

"Yes, but it's up to you to discover what makes you happy. What works for one person may not work for another."

Zero gazed at her intently. "Can you help me?"

"Eh?!"

"What? Did I say something weird?"

"W-well, no. It was just so sudden, and…and… Um…"

"Iris? Are you okay?"

No, she was not okay. She was drowning in his eyes again, and damn him for making it worse by getting right in her face. All of a sudden, his helmet vanished, and all rational thoughts left her mind.

"You're gorgeous," she blurted.

Zero visibly recoiled. "What?"

His sudden movement snapped Iris back to reality. She was horrified to see that he had never removed his helmet, and even more horrified by what she said. She covered her eyes and bolted, but didn't make it more than two feet before Zero pulled her into his arms.

"Iris, no! I'm not mad!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry again!"

Iris slowly removed her hands from her face. Zero's arms were around her, holding her tight, and his warmth seeped into her body. But instead of getting flustered, she found herself calming down. As strange as it sounded, she felt that as long as she was here, she would be safe.

She craned her neck in order to look up at him. "Gosh, I've never seen you so rattled before. You shouldn't fret over me. I'm not that important."

"Don't you dare say that," Zero growled, his grip tightening.

"But it's true," Iris protested. "Anything I've ever done could have been handled by someone else. Hell, if Milan and the others had never found me I doubt things would be very different here."

"You're wrong."

She scowled. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, I mean it. I've learned a lot since I met you."

"You're an amnesiac. You've had to learn stuff from everybody."

"No one else bothered to teach me about being happy."

Iris had nothing to say to that.

"Everyone says I'm some kind of legendary hero, and who knows, maybe they're right," Zero continued. "But that title's a mixed blessing. People see me for what I've done, not who I am."

"What does that have to do with me?" asked Iris.

"You treat me like a person, not a hero."

"I don't see what's so special about that. All I did was give you what I thought you deserved."

"That's exactly my point. Ever since I woke up, my supposed reputation has preceded me. I don't know if I really am the Zero Ciel claims I am, but if it turns out she's wrong, I'd still be Zero the idiot to you."

Iris finally understood what he was getting at. Zero didn't know or care about what he was prior to losing his memory. To him, his past self might as well have been a different person. But the Resistance members judged him based on his title, and they were too intimidated or starstruck to see him as anything but a hero.

Iris's core swelled with pity. They only saw Zero's surface. They didn't know that he enjoyed a good chase, or that he was as stubborn as a cockroach, or how much his eyes lit up when he was happy. They didn't know about the sensitive soul hidden beneath his cold demeanor.

Then she realized just how close she had gotten with Zero in the span of a month and a half. Despite her dislike of him, she had gotten to know him as well as Aigel and Lumen. Now she was welcoming his embrace―something she never could have imagined when they first met. Was she getting Stockholm syndrome, or had he just grown on her without her realizing it?

"Once an idiot, always an idiot," she chuckled.

"I'll be your idiot every day as long as you stop thinking so little of yourself," said Zero.

"All right, all right," Iris grumbled. Zero finally released her, and she sat on her bed with a sigh. "Damn, you're persuasive."

He smiled his little smile again. "I try to be."

"Anyway," she continued, clearing her throat. "About your request… Since I'm stuck with you for at least the next few days, I suppose I could help you learn how to be happy. But I expect you to be on your best behavior, got it?"

He looked so grateful that she just about melted on the spot. "Understood," he said.

"I have to leave for the infirmary soon, so we'll start tomorrow," said Iris. "Is that okay?"

"Sounds good."

When the time came for Iris's shift to begin, the two left her room together. As per the terms of her punishment, Iris had to be escorted when traveling to and from the infirmary. She found it degrading, but she supposed it was fitting.

She jumped when Zero suddenly grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Rocinolle ordered me to keep you from wandering off," he explained.

"You know as well as I do that I couldn't escape if I tried."

"I know, but she doesn't."

Iris gritted her teeth and made a mental note to never piss off Rocinolle again. Seeing that there was no way out of this, she grudgingly walked hand in hand with Zero towards the infirmary. Her face was on fire. Not only was this humiliating, she was afraid people would get the wrong idea if they saw them like this.

She forced herself to stay strong. It could have been worse. Besides, the feeling of Zero's hand almost made up for the embarrassment. She couldn't blame ethanol this time; she really did like holding his hand. It was so warm and gentle that it was hard to believe that this same hand was responsible for so much destruction.

The trip was mercifully short. Upon reaching the infirmary, she mumbled a hasty good-bye to Zero and darted inside. His warmth still lingered on her hand, and she clutched it to her chest.

"Riss!" Aigel called as she ran up to her. "What's up? You're as red as a sunburned dingo."

"It's nothing," Iris insisted.

"I heard about your punishment," said Aigel. "It can't be easy having Zero breathing down your neck all the time."

"Yeah," Iris said softly.

Aigel placed her hand on Iris's shoulder. "Hey, if there's anything you need to talk about, I'm more than willing to listen. Okay?"

"Thanks, but I'd rather not talk about it."

Aigel didn't look pleased by that answer, but she didn't push Iris. The two of them got right to work. Since missions had ground to a halt, they no longer had an influx of new patients, but there was still a lot to do.

A couple hours into their shift, Aigel pulled Iris aside. "All right, spill it."

"Spill what?"

"What's bothering you so much that you're doing whatever you can to put it out of your mind?"

Iris winced. "I was that obvious?"

"It's kind of hard to ignore how enthusiastic you were about amputating a leg," Aigel remarked. She gave Iris a knowing look. "It's a boy, isn't it?"

"How did you know?!" squeaked Iris.

"Mate, nothing distracts a girl more than the boy she has her eyes on," said Aigel.

"I-I don't have my eyes on him!"

"Sounds like denial to me, but we'll ignore that for now. What is it about this guy that's bugging you?"

"It's nothing important."

"Riss, if you don't fess up, I'm going to find this boy and tell him you like him."

"NO! Please don't do that!" Iris shrieked.

"Then hurry up and tell me what's wrong," said Aigel.

"Okay, okay!" groaned Iris. "I just don't know what to think about him anymore. I've hated him for so long, but lately, I've been feeling weird around him."

"How so?"

"My insides turn to mush, my processor ceases to function, and I keep getting zapped every time he touches me. It's getting to the point where I think something's really wrong with me."

"Well, you'd be right about that. Sounds to me like you've got it bad."

"Got what bad?"

"Are you really that dense, Riss?" Aigel giggled. "It's obvious. You're in love with this guy."

"WHAT?!" Iris screeched. "That can't be right! I don't― I don't love him! I don't even _like_ him! He's an idiot and an asshole!"

"Keep telling yourself that," said Aigel. "The longer you deny it, the worse it's gonna get."

"Shut up," growled Iris. "Now let's get back to work before Rocinolle finds out we're slacking off."

Iris could almost feel steam coming out of her ears. How could Aigel suggest such a thing? Her? In love with Zero? The very thought made her want to gag. Besides, even if he wasn't an ass, he was way out of her league.

When her shift was over, she found Zero waiting for her outside. "Wow, you sure are prompt."

"Just doing my job," he replied.

She sighed and held out her hand. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Even though she was expecting the shock, it still took all of her willpower to not flinch when he took her hand. She kept her face blank and suppressed her unbidden happiness. She was stronger than this. She was not going to fall for Zero's handsome face or electric touch again.

She was not in love with him, and she was going to prove it.

* * *

**Can you believe it? It's been one year since I first published this version of **_**To Bloom Again**_**, but the story has been in development for even longer. Chunks of the earlier version (originally published here in March 2014) are on my DeviantArt account, and I have many more scrapped chapters and ideas stored on my computer.**

**I have never poured so much time and effort into a single work before, and I am really happy that so many people are enjoying the results. Thank you so much for all of your support, and I will continue to do my best to keep writing!**

**I was determined to get this chapter up and ready in time for the one year anniversary, and while it fought with me a lot (I spent a whole day on one specific paragraph because I couldn't find the right words), I managed to pull it off. I'm really proud of myself!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Iris awoke from a dreamless slumber, and for a few blissful seconds enjoyed the feeling of peace and comfort. Her processor then resumed full functions, forcing her to recall her predicament. She groaned softly and sat up to glare at the source of her problems.

Zero was propped against the wall, still fast asleep. His right arm rested on one of his knees, while his left arm hung loosely at his side. His hair spilled onto the floor around him like a golden waterfall, and his expression was peaceful.

How did he manage to sleep like that? It didn't look at all comfortable. Of course, the only other option was for them to share her bed, and that was out of the question. In any case, it was better for him to be asleep. Iris slipped out of bed as quietly as she could, but she underestimated Zero's hearing.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Ack, don't look!" she exclaimed, hiding her hair with her pillow.

"What's wrong?"

"I look awful! I haven't brushed my hair yet!"

"You look fine to me."

She gave him a look of disbelief, but his expression was as serious as ever. She rolled her eyes and grumbled, "You are such an idiot."

Privately, she was relieved that he did not make fun of her, but she did not approve of his poor taste. With a grunt, she walked over to her vanity and began to tame her bedhead.

"Do you do this every morning?" Zero asked.

"Of course. Maybe you don't care, but I personally don't want to look like a slob," she replied. "Hold up. Are you saying that you _don't_ brush your hair?"

"I never saw a need for it."

Iris almost dropped her brush. She stomped over to him and yanked him upright. "Take it off."

"Huh?"

"Your helmet! Take it off!"

"But―"

"NOW!"

Zero looked confused, but obeyed. Iris then ordered him to turn around, and he stiffened as she attacked his hair with her brush.

"Hey!" he exclaimed when she hit a knot. "Iris, what are you doing? And why are you so mad?"

"You idiot!" she snarled. "How DARE you treat hair this pretty so poorly!"

She supposed she couldn't really blame him. After all, being male and a combat model, he probably didn't give a lick about what he looked like. But the fact that he didn't take proper care of his hair struck a nerve. She had to spend a lot of time and effort to keep her hair looking good, and Zero's hair was still prettier when it was unkempt. She pouted, thinking about how unfair it was.

"I don't understand what you're talking about," said Zero. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"It's a mess!" Iris exclaimed. "There're a million tangles in here! I can't believe I never noticed them before!"

"The tangles haven't given me any issues," said Zero.

"I don't care!" yelled Iris. "I won't tolerate a rat's nest in my room!"

"There are no rats living in my hair, though."

"It's a figure of speech, damn it!"

Thirty minutes later, Iris managed to tame all the tangles. Considering that more than a hundred years had passed since Zero's hair was last groomed, she was surprised that it was in such good condition. She took some of it into her hand and stroked it, feeling a stab of envy at how soft and silky it was. Why would a combat Reploid have hair like this in the first place? It served no purpose, and it looked like it would get in the way in the midst of battle.

"Are you done?" asked Zero.

"Uh, yeah!" She let go of his hair just as Zero glanced behind him. "See, don't you think that looks so much better?"

"Not really."

"You're hopeless," Iris sighed, shaking her head. She returned to her vanity as Zero put his helmet back on. It only took her a few more minutes to brush and tie back her own hair. Then she put on her beret and popped an E-crystal into her mouth. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Or are you?"

Iris shrieked as she felt something yank the tip of her ponytail. Before she could blink, she found herself pinned against Zero. The former Maverick Hunter held her close with one arm while using his free hand to point the Z-Saber at her offender.

Lumen held her hands high in the air as she stared at the green blade resting an inch from her neck. "Bro, you really need to chill out." Her tone was calm, but her expression betrayed her terror.

"Don't ever do that again," Zero growled. He turned off the Z-Saber and tucked it into its holster, and Lumen sighed in relief.

"Whew, I thought I was a goner," she mumbled.

"Lumen, what on earth are you doing?" Iris asked as Zero released her.

"I wanted to see how the two of you were getting along," Lumen replied. "Surely all this time alone together would have done something for your relationship. And it looks like I was right."

"What are you talking about? And how did you sneak in here?" Iris demanded.

"I hid in your hair last night," said Lumen. "It wasn't fun, but hearing you yell 'Take it off!' at Zero was totally worth it."

Iris flushed crimson and swiped at Lumen, but the Cyber Elf giggled and dodged the blow.

"And you, Zero!" Lumen continued. "You're awfully protective of little Rissy-poo. You almost killed me just because I pulled her hair."

"What are you getting at?" asked Zero.

"You two are adorable," said Lumen. "You need to hurry up and kiss already."

Iris almost choked. She sputtered for a few seconds before screeching Lumen's name and chasing after the Cyber Elf. Lumen was faster, however, and escaped the room, and Iris's attempt to pursue was thwarted when her annoyingly diligent jailor restrained her arms.

"Let me go, Zero! I'm going to kill her!" she yelled.

"She's not worth it," said Zero. "Besides, you're under house arrest, remember?"

After a few more seconds of struggling, she gave up. "Fine," she grated.

"Lumen seems to enjoy making you angry," Zero noted. "What did she mean by "hurry up and kiss already'?"

"NO! No, no, no, no, no, please don't make me explain that!" cried Iris.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yes! So shut your mouth and forget about it unless you want to get smacked!"

Zero let her go, and she plopped on her bed with a huff. She was so angry she could hardly think. First Aigel, and now Lumen. Why were they convinced that she had a thing for Zero? Today convinced her more than ever that he was not for her. His ever so nosy stare wasn't helping matters, either.

"I am in a _very_ foul mood right now, Zero, so do me a favor and get lost," she grated.

"And let you stumble into trouble again? I don't think so," he said.

"Would you knock that off already?!" snarled Iris. "It's one thing to be protective, but you're smothering me! Lumen was right; you do need to chill out."

Zero looked confused and troubled. "I don't understand."

"I'm telling you to give me a little space!" she exclaimed. "It's not like I'm gonna keel over just because you weren't watching me. If you're that worried, just park your butt outside and I'll holler if I need you."

"Will that make you happy?" asked Zero.

"Absolutely."

He turned around and left the room without another word. Iris stared at her door for several seconds after it shut behind him, hardly believing her eyes. It wasn't like Zero to give in so easily. Something had to be going on with him. She frowned, wondering why that thought bothered her so much, but she shook it off. She wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Time crawled by at a painfully slow rate. Iris relished the peace, but she was bored out of her mind. She had already polished every inch of her room to a shine, and there was nothing else to do. It was official: even without Zero, house arrest sucked.

Speaking of which, she was surprised he hadn't come in to check on her. While she had told him to get lost, she hadn't expected him to listen. His unusual obedience was beginning to freak her out. Determined to find out what he was up to, she hustled over to her door and opened it.

She found Zero leaning against the wall beside her door, looking mildly surprised. "Iris? Is something wrong?"

"Um, no," she replied, feeling suddenly bashful. "I was just bored."

"So you aren't happy?" he asked.

"No! I mean, yes! I mean— Ugh, I don't know how to explain it! Why are you even asking me that?"

"I want you to be happy."

Iris gasped.

"What's wrong?" Zero asked.

"Okay, that's enough!" she snapped. "This isn't funny, Zero! I don't know what scheme you're trying to pull, but I'm not falling for it! Get out of my face!"

She ducked back into her room and slammed the door behind her. She took several deep breaths and tried to calm her racing core. She was afraid; almost as afraid as when she had been caught in the spider Reploid's web. She could not believe Zero had said something so sweet. Even more frightening was how easily his words pierced her core. Overwhelmed by the unfamiliar feelings stirring in her chest, she feigned anger and made up an excuse to escape.

Iris heard Zero apologizing from the other side of her door and felt a sharp sting of guilt. For once, he hadn't done anything wrong, but she had still managed to find a way to put the blame on him. His distress bothered her more than she cared to admit, but she was too much of a coward to face him. She laughed bitterly. At least this proved she wasn't in love. How could she be when all she wanted to do was run away from him?

Only she couldn't run forever. She would have to confront him again before long. She buried her face into her hands, unable to contain her frustration. To make matters worse, she could feel a headache coming on. Her processor, still recovering from its massive overload, was being heavily taxed by her emotional strain.

The last thing she needed was another stay in the infirmary, so Iris performed a quick self diagnostic. A couple of her neural circuits had overheated, but it was nothing that normal maintenance couldn't handle. She would simply have to shut down for an hour or two while her auto repair system worked. So she settled herself on her bed, programmed herself to reboot after two hours, and quickly sank into unconsciousness.

"That was way too close. A second later, and she would have destroyed everything. And that was only a cheap imitation."

"No. It rejected the host because it didn't recognize her. I see now that it isn't enough to just replicate the body and programming. I need the soul."

"But Professor Dahlia, that's a forbidden art!"

"So you'd rather die at the hands of that monster? I don't care if it's forbidden. If it will give us a chance at setting things right, I'll do it. No matter what happens to me, I have to stop—"

Iris's eyes flew open as a loud beeping filled her head. It took her a moment to remember where she was at, but then she sighed and shut off her internal alarm. It was just her luck that she would dream about her past again, only to wake up before she could learn anything important.

Her head didn't hurt anymore, but there was still the issue of Zero. She would soon have to let him escort her to the infirmary, but she was still afraid to confront him. Even now she could hear his words in her head, and that alone was enough to make her core behave erratically.

"Why did you say that, idiot?" she asked softly. "It's not like you know anything about being happy."

A second later, her eyes widened and she slammed her palm into her forehead. Letting lose a long string of curses, she leapt out of bed and burst out of her room.

Zero looked as surprised as she felt. "Iris? You—"

"I'm sorry!" she cried.

Zero's jaw went slack. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Iris repeated slowly. "I blew you off all day after promising to help you. I was acting like a brat and I don't blame you if you're mad at me."

A long silence passed. Iris stared at the floor in shame, but Zero lifted her chin and forced her to look him in the eye.

"I'm not mad at you," he said.

"But why? I treated you like dirt today. Hell, I've treated you like dirt since the day we met. You could've kicked my ass seven ways to hell and back by now, but you didn't. Why do you put up with me?"

"I've been thinking about this for a long time, but when you walked out of your room just now, I became certain of it."

Iris's stomach was doing somersaults. There was an emotion in Zero's eyes that she couldn't identify, but it both excited and terrified her.

"You make me happy," he concluded.

Her mind went blank. She couldn't have heard that right. This was Zero, for crying out loud! He was rude and crass, not sweet and affectionate. Yet those words made her core feel like it had sprouted wings.

"Zero, I—" She faltered, and then tried again. "I have to go now."

"Go?"

"To work, idiot!" Iris yelled, snapping out of her stupor.

"Oh, right."

She groaned and rolled her eyes. The Zero she knew was back. She at least knew what to do with him when he was like this.

"Come on, let's go already!" she exclaimed, offering her hand.

Even as her usual annoyance returned, Iris knew something had changed. The strange sensation in her core lingered and grew stronger when Zero took her hand.

This time, she wasn't so sure she disliked it.

* * *

**Well, here we are, two months later. I can explain, I swear! I started working part time, and my laptop's hard drive went kaput, so I had to type most of this chapter on my tablet. Work in particular made my motivation take a nose dive. And this chapter was a bit on the short side, but I had the hardest time with it! I rewrote one part three different ways before I was happy with it. Well, I at least hope this was worth the wait, and I hope it didn't turn out too corny.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Zero had faced many things in the short time since his awakening, but none of them had prepared him for the wrath of an angry Cyber Elf. He had just dropped Iris off at the infirmary when he found himself face to face with a tiny ball of fury.

"What is wrong with you?!" Lumen screeched. "You were so close, and you totally blew it!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You and Riss!" she fumed. "You were just inches apart, and you let her go!"

"I fail to see the problem with that. And why were you spying on us?"

Lumen groaned and smacked her forehead. "I can't believe this. You like Riss, don't you?"

Zero found that he couldn't answer her. Seeing Lumen's impatient expression, he finally said, "I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?! Either you do or you don't!"

"Iris has expressed very little other than hostility and hatred towards me. Logic states that I should not like her, yet I cannot conclusively say I don't."

"You are an idiot," Lumen growled. "You flat out told her she makes you happy. It's obvious that you like her!"

"If you already knew, then why'd you ask me?"

"Because I was— Never mind. I see what the problem is, now. The two of you are too stupid to recognize your own feelings."

The Cyber Elf stormed off, leaving Zero even more confused. He had no idea why she was so angry. Perhaps females were simply wired differently. After all, Iris always seemed to be set off by the simplest things.

Iris. Just thinking about her brought forth a surge of inexplicable sensations. Right from the start she intrigued him in a way no one else had. He knew her to be a stranger, and yet he felt like had met her before. Logic dictated that he solve this paradox.

Weeks had passed since then, and he was no closer to a definitive answer. The only thing he was certain of was that his initial curiosity had grown into something far stronger. Iris had become as important to him as Ciel, and it spurned him to protect her at any cost. Despite her temper and obvious distaste for him, he found herself enjoying her company – as long as she kept her secret weapon sheathed.

That was another thing that puzzled him. Iris was unnervingly good at making him feel like he had just been stabbed in the chest, and yet he could never find any evidence of a physical injury. How could she create such a powerful, tangible sensation with only her words and expressions?

He shook his head. There was no point trying to figure it out. He had long ago resigned that he would never understand her. With those thoughts pushed to the back of his mind, Zero made his way toward his room. Ciel had given him sizable living quarters, most likely out of gratitude. Normally the extra space would not have mattered to him, but during these past days he had been using it for weapon practice.

He didn't need the practice, as combat was a key part of his programming, but having nothing to do for hours on end was grating on him. His body craved the rush of battle, the synthadrenaline coursing through his veins, the hum of his blade as it cleaved a robot in two. Going through the motions didn't completely stave off the urge, but it kept him from going stir-crazy.

Zero twirled the Triple Rod in front of him with a speed and ease that would have made any color guard member jealous. The spear-like weapon still did not feel as natural as his Z-Saber, but its great reach and guarding ability had been useful on several of his missions. Besides, Cerveau had worked hard to make it for him, and far be it from him to let a weapon go to waste.

The fact that Iris had played a hand in its creation probably helped, too.

He had been very surprised when Cerveau mentioned that Iris had assisted him. Despite her disdain at being collared, she still gave Zero support, albeit indirectly. It had given him that warm, light sensation that Iris called "happiness".

Exhaling heavily, Zero retracted the Triple Rod and slid it back into its holster. There was still some time before Iris got off work. He wondered if Ciel's condition had improved. Rocinolle had been adamant about making sure the scientist got lots of rest, to the point where she refused to let him visit if Ciel was sleeping or feeling especially bad. Zero respected her resolve; besides Iris, Rocinolle seemed to be the only Reploid in the base capable of telling him "no".

He headed for Ciel's room and was relieved when Rocinolle allowed him inside. Ciel was sitting upright in bed, a definite step up from the last time he saw her. She still looked pale, however, and Rocinolle and Alouette were busy tending to her.

"Zero!" Ciel exclaimed. "How nice of you to visit!"

He nodded and grunted a greeting. "It's good to see you're feeling better."

"Yes. I feel much better." She smiled brightly. "I'll be back to my old self in no time."

"Don't be so hasty, young lady," Rocinolle warned. "You aren't going anywhere for a few more days at least."

"Zero, I'm so sorry," said Ciel. "Look at me, sick in bed when everyone needs me the most. Some leader I am."

"It's nothing you need to apologize for. Just focus on recovering."

"But I wasn't there for you when I should have been!" Ciel protested. "The base was attacked and I couldn't do a thing about it! I let you and everyone else down!"

"Ciel, stop," Zero ordered. "Don't worry about what happened. The base is safe, and I intend to keep it that way."

Ciel smiled again, but in a grim fashion. "You're too good to me, Zero. I wish I didn't have to always rely on you, but it seems I have no choice."

Zero snorted. She said that like it was bad thing. Didn't she understand that he didn't mind helping her?

"By the way, Zero, how is Iris doing?" Rocinolle interjected. "Is she giving you a hard time?"

He shrugged. "She's as stubborn as ever, but otherwise she's just fine."

"Oh, that's right," Ciel said, turning to Rocinolle. "You did say Iris was under house arrest for using my computer without permission."

"But she helped Zero, right? Why did she get in trouble for that?" asked Alouette.

"Because she hurt herself and very easily could have hurt everyone else if things went wrong," explained Rocinolle. "I still don't understand how she did it. Despite never having used a computer before, she hacked into that Mechaniloid's blueprints."

"She _what_?!" cried Ciel. "But those are under Class 5 encryption! Even I have difficulty hacking those!"

"Exactly. And the fact that her processor overheated proves she wasn't designed for such advanced calculations," Rocinolle concluded. "I suspect there is more to Iris than even she knows."

Ciel closed her eyes as she considered all the facts. "Rocinolle, is there any way to bolster Iris's processor?"

The nurse was incredulous. "Why are you asking such a thing?"

"I want her to take my place as Zero's operator."

The room fell silent. Even Zero was stunned by Ciel's suggestion. Once the initial shock wore off, Rocinolle cried, "Dr. Ciel, forgive me, but there is no way I can agree with this! Iris has no experience with operating, and furthermore, I have not once seen her attempt to get along with Zero! Are you seriously considering leaving all of our lives up to chance?!"

"The longer we wait idly, the more time Neo Arcadia will have to plan another attack," Ciel stated. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about it ever since I recovered from delirium. I don't want the base to be left vulnerable again."

"Shouldn't we ask Iris what she thinks?" Zero interrupted. "We shouldn't make these decisions for her."

"You know what? You're absolutely right," said Ciel. "Alouette, would you please go fetch Iris for me?"

Alouette nodded eagerly and hurried off. After she was out of sight, Rocinolle turned back to Ciel. "I still don't think this is a good idea. It is possible to increase the capabilities of Iris's processor, but it's a delicate operation. If it goes wrong, she could lose her memories or even change personality. This isn't a decision to make lightly."

"I have full faith in your abilities, Rocinolle," said Ciel. "But it will be up to Iris to make the final decision."

A few minutes later, Alouette returned, accompanied by Iris. She was very confused as to why she was summoned, especially since her punishment restricted where she was allowed to go. Ciel filled her in on the situation, and her eyes grew wider with every word spoken.

"Y-you can't be serious!" she cried. "_Me_? Guide _Zero_? I couldn't possibly—"

"But you did an amazing job when the base was under attack," Ciel reasoned. "Even though you broke protocol, you did what you felt was right, and you operated just as well as I would have had I not been ill."

"But I don't know how I did it!" Iris protested. "My body just moved on its own. I don't know if I'd be able to do it again. And even if I do, what if I pass out again?"

"There is a way," said Ciel. "Rocinolle said she can operate on you to upgrade your processor. Then there would be no danger of it overheating. However, the operation has risks of its own. If you aren't willing to undergo it, I won't force you."

Iris chewed her lip, worry evident in her expression. Zero felt his core ache in response.

"Do I have to decide now?" she asked.

"No," Ciel assured. "I understand this is a big decision for you. I want you to consider carefully before you answer. Think it over, and report back to me when you've made up your mind."

Relieved, Iris thanked Ciel profusely. Ciel then dismissed her, and she scampered out of the room.

"I can't say I approve of leaving our fates in the hands of that girl," Rocinolle sighed. "She's too rash. Just look at how many times she's gotten herself into trouble."

"Iris means well," said Ciel. "And her rashness saved us from the Mechaniloid. I am certain she'd make a great operator."

"She hasn't agreed to it yet," stated Rocinolle. "What if she refuses?"

"Then things will just go back to the way they were. I don't want to force Iris into something she doesn't feel comfortable with."

Zero's respect for Ciel grew once more. She had again proved why she was the Resistance leader in spite of her young age. With the matter of Iris settled, he excused himself and made for the infirmary to wait for his charge. Iris emerged after about fifteen minutes sporting a pensive expression. She acknowledged him for all of half a second, gave him her hand, and went back to being lost in thought.

When they returned to her room, Iris sat on her bed, her mind still a million miles away. Zero allowed her some space, knowing that she needed time to consider Ciel's offer.

"Zero, what do you think I should do?"

He blinked, not expecting to be addressed. His surprise must have been evident on his face, as Iris immediately averted her eyes. "Uh, I mean… Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"Asking for advice is nothing to be ashamed of," said Zero. "But this isn't something I can decide for you."

"Some help you are," Iris groaned. "I should've known better than to ask you."

"All I want is for you to be happy."

Her face turned a brilliant red. "D-don't say things like that! This is hard enough as it is!"

Zero felt a stab of guilt. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to trouble you further."

"It's just that—" She winced and shook her head. "It's just that this is my big chance. My chance to be someone special instead of just one of the crowd. But I'm scared. I know that the slightest mistakes in a processor operation have severe consequences. And even if the operation is successful, what if I mess up on a mission? If I make a mistake, it's you who reaps the penalty. I…I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened."

Her face reddened again. "Wh-why am I telling you all this? I must sound so stupid."

"Iris."

"Y-yes?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Easy for you to say!" she snapped, jumping to her feet. "Look at where my decisions have gotten me! I lost my voice, I collapsed from hunger, I drunk myself into a stupor, I overheated my processor, and…and…"

Her face screwed up, and her chest quivered as she began to sob. Damn it, he hated seeing her like this!

"I'm a disaster," Iris concluded. "I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for you. And I was too proud and stubborn to thank you for saving me. You'd have to be the idiot of the century to trust me with your life."

Zero found himself tucking a lose tuft of her hair behind her ear. She stopped crying and looked up at him, eyes wide with shock.

"I guess that makes me the idiot of the century, then," he said.

For a moment, she stared at him. Then she began to laugh wildly. Zero felt his cheeks grow warm. He hadn't expected her to react like this.

"You— I can't believe this!" Iris sputtered. "You've said some really stupid things, Zero, but this takes the cake!"

"I don't understand," said Zero.

"You _admitted_ that you're an idiot! The idiot of the century, no less!" Growing more solemn, she continued, "I know I've called you an idiot many times now, but this is the stupidest thing you've ever done. I can't make a good decision to save my life. I feel like no matter what I choose, it's going to end badly."

"It's true that you haven't made the best decisions before," Zero conceded. "But that doesn't mean that you're incapable of making good decisions."

"But I—"

He silenced her with a finger. "Whether you accept or reject Ciel's offer, I'll make sure you won't regret your choice."

"How are you going to do that?" she asked. He smiled at her.

"Like I do anything else: I'll improvise."

Iris laughed again. The sound was exceedingly pleasant. "If anyone else had said that, I would have had my doubts. But since you obviously pulled that sentence out of your ass, I guess I have nothing to worry about!"

"What? I didn't pull it out of my ass!" Zero exclaimed. Iris only laughed harder.

"Never change, Zero. Never change."

He had no idea what she was talking about, but at least he got her to stop crying. He didn't think he'd be able to stand a night of her being upset.

"You know, I've been thinking," said Iris. "Maybe I had you all wrong."

"What do you mean?"

She stared at the floor and fiddled with her fingers. "Well, we got off on a really bad foot, and after that, I just landed in one disaster after another. But lately – these past few days, I mean – I feel like I'm finally starting to understand you."

"That's more than I can say," Zero admitted.

"I don't think someone like you could ever understand a girl's thoughts," Iris said dryly. "But I think I've finally come to accept that's just part of you are. I guess what I'm trying to say is…do you want to start over?"

"Start what over?"

"I mean we can put all our arguments and grudges behind us. Let bygones be bygones. That sort of thing."

"I don't see a problem with that."

Iris gasped. "Y-you'd drop everything just like that? Even though I've been nothing but rotten to you?"

"It never really bothered me," he answered. _Except when you told me you hated me._

"Zero, you are either incredibly kind or incredibly foolish," Iris stated. "I can't tell which. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't grateful. I…I really don't think I deserve your forgiveness, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth."

She extended her hand and smiled shyly. "So… Bygones?"

Once Zero concluded that his components had in fact, not melted, he accepted her handshake. He ignored the familiar tingle the contact caused. "Bygones."

"This doesn't mean I'm going to stop calling you an idiot, though," she said with a smirk.

"I would think something was wrong with you otherwise," he responded.

"Good to see we at least agree on that. Well, it's getting late, so I'll be going to bed. I've got a lot to think about tomorrow. Plus, I still haven't kept my promise."

"Don't worry about that. You've got enough on your mind already."

Iris shook her head. "No. I blew you off long enough. I need to stop being so selfish. Dr. Ciel said to report to her when I was ready, so I can take as much time as I needed to decide. She shouldn't mind if I delay for a day or two."

Zero opened his mouth to protest, and then promptly closed it. It was obvious Iris wasn't going to change her mind. "If you say so."

She smiled again and turned off the light. "Good night, Zero."

"Good night," he responded. He settled himself against the wall and prepared to go to sleep himself. He was still puzzled by Iris and his body's reactions to her, but at the very least she didn't seem to hate him anymore. For now, that was good enough for him.

* * *

**This. Is. So. Very. Late. These past few months have been very, very busy for me. My job and my job search have eaten up a lot of my time. Plus, I was absolutely stuck on this chapter for the longest time. Iris wasn't working with me, so I ended up writing in Zero's point of view for a change. Even then, I was totally stuck on how to proceed until a few days ago, when I finally got inspiration thanks to my Inktober drawings. Ended up nearly draining my poor tablet's battery one night. But I got it out, and I really hope this was worth the long wait.**

**I think I'm going to put this story on hiatus for a while, though. I have an important job interview at the end of the month, plus I want to finish the Inktober challenge. Once things have settled down a little, I'll try to write again. As of now, though, my muse and my free time are pretty spent.**


End file.
